The organisers of the Palestinian protests dubbed the Great March of Return announced on 28 March that they plan to mark the first anniversary of regular anti-Israeli protests along the borders of the Gaza Strip on March 30 with large-scale rallies.
“We call on Palestinians to take part in the rally of millions on 30 March — the first anniversary of the Great March of Return”, the rallies’ organising committee said in a statement.
Earlier, the organisers of the event were considering the possibility of setting the rally for Friday.
Fearing that the event will grow into large-scale unrest, the Israelis deployed large forces to the enclave and expressed their readiness for decisive actions.
The Israeli military reported that they had completed preparations for the Saturday events, reinforcing the southern district with three additional infantry brigades, divisional headquarters and an artillery unit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops concentrated around the Gaza Strip on Thursday. At the end of the trip, he assured that he would not hesitate to launch a large-scale military campaign if other means did not work.