7 Palestinians have been killed and at least 500 wounded during the first day of what the organizers are calling ‘The Great Return March,’ 45 days of protests and events planned to mark 70 years since the Nakba. Updates will be posted as events unfold.

Arab-Israeli human rights group Adalah said that: ”the usage by the Israeli army of nearly 100 snipers against the Gazan protesters is illegal” in a statement to the press released on Friday.

“Hamas is encouraging a hostile march on the Israel-Gaza border,” he tweeted. “Hamas should focus on desperately needed improvements to the lives of Palestinians in Gaza instead of inciting violence against Israel that only increases hardship & undermines chances for peace.”

A 45-year-old Palestinian farmer who was gathering food for his sheep was violently assaulted by settlers from a nearby outpost who regularly launch attacks on villagers, entering their homes and beating them.

Israeli authorities said Thursday that they have decided to block most of Gaza’s small Christian community from entering Israel for Easter celebrations, citing security concerns.

“The scene [in the Seder] of being free in Israel is directly counter to what living in Israel looks like now for Palestinians,” Helene Lovett, one of the student organizers, told the Forward. “They’re not free. They don’t have basic human rights.”

Quds Press International News Agency reported March 20 that Salah al-Bardawil, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said his movement is ready to engage in a dialogue with the US administration to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinian people in obtaining their rights, establishing a Palestinian state and lifting the siege on Gaza.