Israeli army gunfire killed a 15-year-old boy and two young men, aged 24 and 25, in northern Gaza, rescue workers said, and a 29-year-old Palestinian was shot dead in the south of the coastal.
The latest deaths brought to 38 the toll of those killed by Israeli forces since March 30, with hundreds of others also wounded by gunfire, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
On Friday alone, 440 protesters were wounded by gunfire or needed treatment for tear gas inhalation, the ministry said.
Israel says it has only opened fire when necessary to guard its border and prevent violence, but no Israelis have been wounded and its open-fire rules have come under scrutiny.
With the protests seen by Israel as posing a challenge to its security forces, military aircraft dropped leaflets in the border area early Friday warning against approaching the fence.
The number of protesters on Friday was lower than the previous three weeks, but still in the thousands.
Both Palestinians killed were shot east of Jabaliya in the north of the Gaza Strip, the health ministry said.
Israeli forces were using tear gas in addition to live fire.