The United States on Monday blocked a Kuwait-drafted U.N. Security Council statement that sought to express "outrage and sorrow at the killing of Palestinian civilians" in riots on the Israel-Gaza Strip border and called for an independent and transparent investigation, U.N. diplomats said.
Israeli security forces were on high alert on the Gaza border Tuesday ahead of the Hamas-orchestrated Nakba Day march, marking the "catastrophe" of Palestinian displacement during Israel's 1948 War of Independence.
Tensions in the area neared boiling point after weeks of demonstrations and in the wake of deadly riots that erupted on the border Monday, during the high-profile opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
The Palestinians reported 58 protesters were killed and 2,700 were wounded in the demonstrations, saying six minors, including one girl, were among the dead.
Hamas, which boasted it could bring over 100,000 people to the border on Monday, had to make due with substantially lower turnout, as at the height of the protest, it numbered some 40,000 Palestinians.
The IDF said riots erupted at 13 points along the border, where protesters torched tires and hurled rocks and firebombs at the troops. The military thwarted several attempts to rush the border, as well as attempts to plant explosives on the security fence.
Military drones and combat aircraft struck 11 Hamas targets in Gaza and Israeli tanks shelled terror hubs in the Strip's north and south in response to the escalation in violence.
Defense officials said they expected a stronger showing on the border on Tuesday, as Hamas' "March of Return" campaign was designed to peak on Nakba Day. The terrorist group has said that part of its plan for Tuesday's protest was a mass rush of the security fence, something the IDF said it would not allow.
The military has deployed massive forces near the border, including special forces, snipers, and sappers, in what has been described as the largest deployment in the area since Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the violence in Gaza.
"Every country has an obligation to defend its borders. The Hamas terrorist organization declares it intends to destroy Israel and sends thousands to breach the border fence in order to achieve this goal. We will continue to act with determination to protect our sovereignty and citizens."
Hamas denied instigating the violence, but the White House backed Netanyahu.
"The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas. Hamas is intentionally and cynically provoking this response," White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told reporters.
Senior Hamas member Khalil al-Hayya said Monday that the protest was timed to coincide with the "deplorable crime of moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Our people went out today to respond to this new Zionist-American aggression, and to draw by their blood the map of their return."
Top Palestinian official Saeb Erekat condemned the Israeli military's response to the riots, saying, "These war crimes should not go unpunished and the international community has a responsibility to provide international protection for the Palestinian people."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the United States had opened an "American settlement outpost in east Jerusalem." He announced a general strike on Tuesday.
The Pentagon confirmed it had deployed additional U.S. Marine guards to temporarily bolster security at several U.S. embassies after the violence, including Israel, Jordan and Turkey.
