As it happened: At least 58 Palestinians killed and thousands injured by Israeli forces amid protests at US embassy in Jerusalem
As Israeli and American officials celebrated the change, thousands of Palestinian protesters were wounded or killed by Israeli bullets
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Your support makes all the difference.At least 58 Palestinians were killed and more than 2,000 people wounded in protests at the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, according to Palestinian officials, on the same day the US fulfiled its controversial promise to move its embassy to the contested city of Jerusalem.
Thousands of demonstrators set fire to tyres on Monday, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air to deter Israeli snipers. The Israeli military said the protests were being used as cover for attacks on soldiers.
It marked the deadliest single day of protests in a weeks-long campaign from Hamas in the run up to the US embassy move and the Nakba, or ‘Catastrophe’, on Tuesday - celebrated in Israel as the country’s 70th birthday.
The order given to Israeli soldiers was to prevent Palestinians from crossing into Israel at any price, including direct live fire. Israel has also warned Hamas that any mass breakthrough will result in airstrikes on the group’s infrastructure inside the Strip - with a number of targets hit by Israeli forces by the afternoon.
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Hamas, the militant group that rules the Strip, had urged supporters to break through the 11-year-old Israel blockade, which has left Gaza "uninhabitable".
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the actions of the Israeli forces as a "genocide" and Israel as a "terrorist state".
"No matter from what side, whether from the United States or Israel, I curse this humanitarian plight, this genocide," he said.
Kuwait has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council amid international outcry over the clashes.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's top aides and supporters on Monday celebrated the opening of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem as a campaign promised fulfilled.
Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, led the US delegation with a single message: Only Trump had the courage to act on what America has wanted for a long time.
“While presidents before him have backed down from their pledge to move the American Embassy once they were in office, this president delivered. Because when President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it,” Mr Kushner said in his speech.
In a recorded message played at the ceremony, Mr Trump said the embassy move was a "long time coming" but he remained committed to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
“Our greatest hope is for peace,” said Trump, whose recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocation of the embassy to the holy city from Tel Aviv, has outraged Palestinians and drawn international concern.
“The United States remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement,” Mr Trump said. “The United States will always be a great friend of Israel and a partner in the cause of freedom and peace.”
The relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv has infuriated the Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as a future capital.
The Israeli military has said troops shot and killed three Palestinians who were trying to place an explosive device by the border fence in Gaza during mass protests.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 18 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.
In a separate incident, the army said an Israeli aircraft bombed a Hamas military post in the northern Gaza Strip after Israeli troops came under fire. No Israeli casualties were reported.
The Israeli military said over 35,000 protesters are taking part in demonstrations at 12 points along the Gaza border.
Gaza's health ministry says 25 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.
A senior figure in Gaza's ruling Hamas group has said mass border protests against Israel will continue until Palestinians have achieved their rights.
Ismail Radwan spoke as thousands rallied near the border fence in the largest protest since his Islamic militant group launched a campaign in late March to break the decade-old blockade of the territory.
Despite the rising death toll, which now stands at 25, Hamas was doubling down.
Mr Radwan said "we will continue on this path until the rights of the Palestinian people are achieved."
Gaza's health officials say 28 people have been killed by Israeli fire in the border protests.
The Palestinian Authority has released a statement accusing Israel of committing a "terrible massacre" by firing on unarmed protesters.
At least 37 people have been killed by Israeli fire on the Gaza border in the deadliest day of violence since the 2014 Gaza War.
The news comes as dignitaries prepare for the official US embassy opening at 4pm (2pm BST).
Palestinians throwing stones are facing off against Israeli troops on the outskirts of Jerusalem just ahead of the embassy opening.
Witnesses told AP that in a neighbourhood north of the city soldiers are firing live bullets, tear gas and rubber-coated steel pellets. There are no immediate reports of injuries.
Several thousand people have gathered in Ramallah in the West Bank as well as the Gaza-Israel border to protest the US embassy move.
As the Gaza Health Ministry announced that the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire had risen to 37, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News that today was an "incredible, momentous day" and said it was "great honor" to lead the dedication ceremony on President Donald Trump's behalf.
Mr Mnuchin also said "it's not coincidental" that the opening of the new embassy coincided with Trump's announcement that he planned to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
Mr Mnuchin has repeatedly said of Jerusalem: "This is the capital of Israel."
The White House has released parts of the prepared remarks Jared Kushner will deliver at the US embassy opening.
- On Trump's decision to move the embassy: "While Presidents before him have backed down from their pledge to move the American Embassy once they were in office, this President delivered. Because when President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it."
- On Israel: "Israel proves every day the boundless power of freedom. This land is the only land in the Middle East in which Jews, Muslims, and Christians, and people of all faiths participate and worship freely according to their beliefs."
- On Iran: "Iran’s aggression threatens the many peace-loving citizens throughout the region and the world."
- On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: "We believe, it is possible for both sides to gain more than they give — so that all people can live in peace — safe from danger, free from fear, and able to pursue their dreams."