Mahmoud Barakat
14 May 2018•Update: 14 May 2018
By Abdel Rauof Arnaout
JERUSALEM
An Israeli drone went down in the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to the Israeli military.
In a statement, the army said the aircraft went down while carrying out an “operational activity” over the Palestinian territory.
Israel uses drones for surveillance and carrying out attacks.
Early on Monday, an Israeli drone dropped fire flames on camps set up by Palestinians near the Gaza Strip’s eastern border, a few hours before anti-occupation rallies began.
Thousands of Palestinians are bracing for major rallies to commemorate the Nakba anniversary and protest relocating the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Monitors do not rule out that protesters may cross the border.
Last week, the Israeli government said that rallies are a part of state of war and human rights laws are not applicable in such case.
Tension has been high across the Gaza border amid rallies demanding Palestinians' return to their homes in historical Palestine where they were driven out in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.
The rallies will culminate on Tuesday, May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the "Nakba" or "the Catastrophe".
Since the rallies began on March 30, at least 49 Palestinian demonstrators have been killed and hundreds injured, according to Health Ministry figures.
