Warning: Image of a deceased person below some may find distressing.
Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday there were "no innocent people" in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip after 10 days of protests and clashes left 30 Palestinians dead.
"There are no innocent people in the Gaza Strip," Mr Lieberman told Israel's public radio.
"Everyone's connected to Hamas, everyone gets a salary from Hamas, and all the activists trying to challenge us and breach the border are Hamas military wing activists."
Palestinian protesters chant slogans next to burning tires during clashes with Israeli troops along Gaza's border with Israel earlier this month. Source: AAP
Israel has faced mounting questions over its use of live fire after 10 days of protests and clashes along the Gaza Strip border in which its forces have killed 30 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Violence spiked again on Friday, when clashes erupted as thousands protested along the border, and nine Palestinians, including a journalist, were killed.
Yasser Murtaja, 30, a cameraman for Palestinian Ain Media, was the 29th Palestinian killed in the week-long protests.
Photos showed Murtaja lying wounded on a stretcher wearing a navy-blue protective vest marked ‘PRESS’ in large black capital letters. Health officials said a live bullet had penetrated the side of his abdomen and he succumbed to his wounds in hospital.
A statement from the Israeli military said: “The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) does not intentionally target journalists. The circumstances in which journalists were allegedly hit by IDF fire are not familiar to the IDF and are being looked into.”
Palestinians mourners carry the body of cameraman Yasser Mourtaja, adorned with his press jacket, during his funeral in Gaza City on April 7. Source: EPA
On March 30, Israeli forces killed 19 Palestinians as a protest by tens of thousands led to clashes.
There have been no reported Israeli casualties.
Israel says it has only opened fire when necessary to stop damage to the border fence, infiltrations and attempted attacks.
It alleges Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, is seeking to use the protests as cover to carry out violence.
But rights groups have harshly criticised Israeli soldiers' actions, and Palestinians say protesters are being shot while posing no threat to troops.
The European Union and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation, which Israel has rejected.
On Saturday, the European Union raised questions over whether Israeli troops engaged in "proportionate use of force".
