Protests marked the 70th anniversary of the expulsion of 700,000 people during the creation of Israel in 1948, leaving scores of Palestinian protestors dead amid claim and counter claim over the actions of the Israeli Defence Force. More than 123 people were killed, and some 13,000 Palestinians were also injured by gunfire or tear gas, Palestinian medics said. The protests mostly began in March 2018, but the peak violence took place of a series of days in May. Some 61 Palestinians were killed in clashes as tens of thousands protested against the transfer of the United States embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Low-level demonstrations have continued since It started with a volley of rockets and mortars into Israel from Gaza, prompting Israel to reply with strikes on 65 alleged militant sites in Gaza. It was the worst outbreak of violence since the 2014 war in Gaza and followed weeks of deadly demonstrations and clashes along the border. The protestors have demanded that Palestinians who fled or were expelled in the 1948 war that followed the creation of Israel should be allowed to return to their former homes, now inside the Jewish state.