THE DAY AFTER

Fresh Clashes in Gaza as Palestinians Bury 58 Dead

Protests in Bethlehem, Ramallah as Israeli forces gear up for day marking “catastrophe.”

Fresh violence erupted Tuesday between protesters and Israeli forces as the 58 Palestinians killed in Monday’s clashes were prepared for burial. As diplomats from several nations continued to express outrage at Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, an estimated 200 Palestinians were protesting in the biblical city of Bethlehem; an additional 100 were demonstrating in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the Associated Press reported. Tear gas was fired into the crowd, but there are no reports of new fatalities. The dead from Monday will be buried today, coinciding with the day Palestinians mark as the “Nakba,” or catastrophe, commemorating the more than 700,000 people who fled or were expelled from their homes in the 1948 war. Israel has defended its actions, saying troops were defending its border, and forces took up positions for a new day at the scene of Monday’s massacre. More than 2,700 people were hurt Monday, among them 1,360 by gunshots, the ministry said. There were initial reports that a baby had been killed in the violence, but Gaza health officials have now cast doubt on that, saying the baby may have had a pre-existing health condition.