Israel rejects calls for inquiry into Gaza killings

Israel's defence minister on Sunday rejected international calls for an investigation into the recent killings of Palestinians along Gaza's border with Israel, saying forces acted appropriately and fired only at Palestinian protesters who posed a threat.

At least 16 unarmed Palestinians were killed and over 1,400 wounded by Israeli forces during Friday's protests, according to Palestinian health officials. It was the area's deadliest violence since a war four years ago.

In an interview, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would not cooperate with a UN inquiry if there were one.

"From the standpoint of the Israeli soldiers, they did what had to be done," Lieberman told Israeli Army Radio. 

"I think that all of our troops deserve a commendation, and there won't be any inquiry."

Human rights groups have accused the Israeli army of using excessive force, and both the UN secretary-general and the EU's foreign policy chief have urged an investigation.

Friday's mass marches launched a six-week-long protest campaign against a stifling decade-old blockade of the territory. Israel and Egypt have maintained the blockade since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 and won a transparent election subsequently.

Use of excessive force by Israel

In Friday's confrontations, large crowds gathered near the fence, with smaller groups of protesters rushing forward, throwing stones. 

Israeli forces fired live ammunition and rubber-coated steel pellets, while drones dropped tear gas from above. Soldiers with rifles were perched on high earthen embankments overlooking the scene.

Protests have continued since Friday but at a far smaller scale. On Sunday, one person was seriously wounded by gunfire, Palestinian medical officials said.

The military has said it responded only to violent attacks aimed at troops and the border fence.

But video from the scene showed at least a handful of incidents in which people appear to have been shot either far from the border or while they were not actively protesting.

In one video that spread on social media, a young man was fatally shot from behind while running away from the border area carrying a tire.

Number of wounded

In the interview, Lieberman said those who protested peacefully were not harmed, saying claims that peaceful protesters were harmed were "lies and inventions."

"Whoever didn't get close to the fence was not shot," he said.

The protests are to culminate in a large border march on May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. 

The date is mourned by Palestinians as their "Nakba," or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were uprooted in the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation. Most of Gaza's 2 million people are descendants of Palestinian refugees.