Alwaght- The Israeli regime has been condemned globally for the massacre of peaceful Palestinian protestors in the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday.
The Palestinian Authority has declared Saturday a day of national mourning after 17 Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli regime forces as thousands marched peacefully near Gaza's border with Palestinian territories occupied by the Israeli regime in a major demonstration marking the 42nd anniversary of Land Day.
"Schools, universities as well as all government institutions across the country will be off on Saturday, as per President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to declare a day of national mourning for the souls of the martyrs," a statement issued on Friday said.
More than 1,400 others were wounded after Israeli forces fired live ammunition at protesters and used tear gas to push them back from a heavily fortified fence, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
International condemnation
At Kuwait's request, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting late on Friday, but failed to agree on a joint statement.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an "independent and transparent investigation."
However, Mansour al-Otaibi, Kuwait's Ambassador to the UN, issued a statement criticising the Security Council's for failing to take action against Israel.
"People in occupied Palestine are disappointed that the Security Council met, but did not take action yet to stop this massacre and to hold those responsible to account."
The Jordanian government also issued a statement laying responsibility on Israel for the deaths of the Palestinian protesters.
Mohammad al-Momani, spokesperson for the Jordanian government, said: "As an occupying power, Israel bears responsibility for what happened in Gaza today, as a result of the Israeli violation of the Palestinian right to protest peacefully and the use of excessive force against them".
The Turkish and Qatari governments released similar statements, condemning Israel's use of force.
Iran’s FM slams shameful killing of protestors
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also slammed the Tel Aviv regime’s latest deadly attack on peaceful Palestinian protesters.
“On the eve of Passover (of all days), which commemorates God liberating Prophet Moses and his people from tyranny, Zionist tyrants murder peaceful Palestinian protesters—whose land they have stolen—as they march to escape their cruel and inhuman apartheid bondage. #Shameful,” Zarif said in a message posted on his official Twitter account on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi strongly condemned the killing and injuring of Palestinian protesters by the “racist” Zionist regime forces in Gaza, saying the latest crime revealed the regime’s “inhumane nature.”
Israel “has a long history of occupation, massacre and crimes,” he said, adding that the regime has grown even more emboldened by the US administration’s “generous support” and “shameful attempts by some delusional and novice regional leaders” to establish relations with Tel Aviv.
Qassemi also called on the International community and those who still care about humanity to take immediate and decisive measures against the Israeli atrocities.
He further asked regional countries to focus on fighting “the Zionist regime's expansionist and inhumane policies” instead of spending their efforts on internal conflicts and arming themselves to threaten other Muslim states.
The responsibility for the deaths of Palestinians lies with “leaders of a few known regional countries, who are secretly seeking to establish ties with the Zionist regime in order to get the consent of the US,” Qassemi added.
Saudi fatwa used to justify killing of Palestinians
The Saudi regime, who de facto leader, Mohammad bin Salman met top pro-Israeli lobbyists in the US recently made no comment amid reports of rapprochement with the usurpers Israeli regime to the detriment of Palestinian rights.
Additionally, a spokesman of the Israeli regime’s army appeared in a video recording using Saudi fatwas as justification for arguing that Palestinians should not take part in upcoming protests against the occupation.
"The Saudi scholar, Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, has decreed for banning demonstrations and sit-ins, saying that this behaviour has nothing to do with the Muslims’ ethics, and that it is a characteristic of infidels and a sense of anarchy and chaos that is not tolerated by Islam," said Avichay Adraee.
"Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen stated that sit-ins and violent demonstrations are evil, because they lead to chaos."
Friday's demonstration commemorated Land Day, which took place on March 30, 1976, when six unarmed Palestinian were killed by Israeli regime forces during protests against the regime’s decision to expropriate massive tracts of Palestinian-owned land.
Organizers of Friday's march, dubbed the Great Return March, said the main message of the demonstration was to call for the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Some 70 percent of Gaza's two million population are descendants of Palestinians who were driven from their homes in the territories taken over by Israel during the 1948 war, known to Arabs as the Nakba.
