Palestinians bury 4 killed in Gaza protests

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Thousands of Palestinians have attended the burials of four people killed by Israeli fire during protests along the Gaza-Israel frontier.

Funerals were held across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, a day after the four were shot, including 16-year-old Mohammed Jahjouh.

Friday's protests were the deadliest in a month and a half of relatively restrained protests that saw one fatality.

Since the protest campaign started in March, 180 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier have been killed, according to health officials and a local rights group.

Hamas has staged the rallies to pressure Israel and Egypt into easing the blockade they imposed when the Islamic militant group seized Gaza in 2007.

Top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh told mourners that his movement complained to mediators over deaths and vowed to keep up the protests.