Israeli gunfire kills Palestinian in eastern Gaza

Gaza, March 30 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli soldiers' gunfire on Saturday predawn east of Gaza City, Palestinian medical sources said.

Mohammed Saad, 20, was killed by shrapnel of a tank shell fired by Israeli soldiers which hit him directly in the head east of Gaza City, a spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry, Ashraf al-Qedra, said in a statement.

Al-Qedra did not provide further details of the incident.

This comes as the Palestinians prepare to mark the first anniversary of the "Great March of Return" rallies near the fence close to Israel.

The Palestinian ministry reported on Friday that 266 Palestinian demonstrators were killed during the past year of protests.

The ministry said in a statement that a total of 50 Palestinian children, six women, three paramedics and two journalists were also killed.

Altogether 30,398 others were injured, of whom 16,027 were transferred to hospitals, and 536 of them were described seriously wounded.