Palestinian commission urges end to Gaza blockade

GAZA, Palestine

A commission on the ongoing marches in Gaza warned Israel on Friday against its blockade of the Palestinian territory since 2006.

The Commission of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege of Gaza was formed by Palestinian groups.

"The world must support the Palestinian people's just struggle to end the unjust blockade and end the people's suffering resulting from the blockade," it said in a statement ahead of the weekly Friday marches in Gaza, near the Israeli security fence.

Since the Gaza rallies began in March last year, nearly 270 protesters have been martyred and thousands more wounded by Israeli forces.

Demonstrators demand an end to Israel’s 13-year-old blockade around the Gaza Strip, which has shattered the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its two million inhabitants of free movement in and out from Gaza, preventing the entry of many basic amenities.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara