19 Palestinians, Israeli soldier wounded in Gaza clashes

GAZA CITY, Feb 18 (AFP): Nineteen Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were wounded Sunday during clashes in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army and Palestinian medical sources said.

"IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldier injured when an explosive device was thrown during Gaza riots on Israel's border fence," the army said on Twitter.

It added that Israeli tanks struck "two Hamas military posts in Gaza in response to the explosive device".

In Gaza, the health ministry of the Islamist Hamas movement that runs the enclave said 19 Palestinians were wounded by live ammunition during the clashes.

Palestinians have for nearly a year gathered at least weekly in various spots along the Gaza border for often violent protests.

They want to be able to return to the homes their families fled from in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, and are calling for an end to the Jewish state's blockade of Gaza.