Thousands of Palestinians demonstrated near the Israel-Gaza Strip border on Friday, as part of Hamas' border riot campaign, now in its fourth month.
The military said hundreds of rioters torched tires and hurled rocks and firebombs at the troops.
Several Palestinians approached the security fence near the abandoned Karni crossing in northern Gaza and tried hurling explosives over the border. The device landed on the Gazan side and several Palestinians were wounded.
No injuries were reported among the Israeli troops involved in the incident.
The Gaza Health Ministry said a 22-year-old protester was killed and 400 others were wounded in Friday's riots. It accused the IDF of shelling protesters east of Gaza City.
According to the ministry, Friday's fatality brings the number of Palestinians killed since the border demonstrations began on March 30, to 136.
The military denied the allegations, saying troops used standard crowd control measures, as well as gunfire, as they confronted 3,000 Palestinians at five points along the security fence.
An IDF statement said that "Hamas terrorists are using the crowds as cover to carry out attacks and are endangering the residents of the Gaza Strip."
The Palestinians said that Zahadia Haniyeh, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's niece, sustained serious wounds in the prowwww.
The 38-year-old was rushed to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City Friday with a gunshot wound to her abdomen. She is said to be in stable condition.
Her uncle visited her at the on Saturday morning, telling reporters, "The Palestinian people will continue with the marches despite the many wounded until the land is purified of the filth of the occupation."
Meanwhile, while organizers have described the border riots as spontaneous outpourings of frustration, the Islamists terrorist group has failed to mark any major achievements.
A recent poll by the Palestinian Centre of Policy and Survey Research, found that 74% of Palestinians believe the protests have not achieved their goals or achieved little.
Palestinians arson terrorism continued to rage over the weekend, as 54 fires were sparked by incendiary kites and firebomb balloons sent flying over the border into nearby Israeli communities.
Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers battled the flames for hours, assisted by four firefighting planes as well as Nature and Parks Authority foresters and Jewish National Fund officials.
Palestinian kite terrorism, which has been ravaging Gaza-vicinity communities since late April, has so far sparked 859 fires. Over 8,200 acres of forest and agricultural land on the Israeli side of the border have been decimated, causing millions of dollars in damage.
"We're experiencing a complex situation of high-frequency fires across large areas. The damage is heartbreaking," First Sgt. Maj. Shlomi Cohen, commander of one of the firefighting teams deployed near the border daily told Israel Hayom.
