JERUSALEM, April 5, 2018 (WAFA) – United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, said on Thursday that he was following with concern developments in Gaza related to the Great March of Return.

Palestinians are planning to march toward the border fence with Israel on Friday as part of the march of return, kicked off last Friday and which ended with Israel shooting dead 16 Palestinians and wounding more than 1400 others.

"I am following with concern the continuing preparations and rhetoric for this Friday‘s ‘Great Return March‘ in Gaza,” said Mladenov in a statement.

He urged Israel to allow the demonstrations and protests to proceed in a peaceful manner, calling on Israel to exercise maximum restraint and on the Palestinians to avoid friction at the Gaza fence.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called following Israel’s killing and wounding of a large number of Palestinian civilians last week for an international probe into the events of last Friday. Israel rejected any probe, local or international.

M.K.