Palestinian mark Nakba Day (Catastrophe Day) every year with demonstrations in both Gaza and the West Bank.

A Palestinian fisherman was injured by IDF fire off of Gaza’s coast as protests marking Nakba Day began on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Palestinian reports 22 year-old fisherman was shot by an IDF navy vessel as he was taking part in a naval protest in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.  Palestinian media also reported IDF firing tear gas at protesters along the border fence with Israel.

The IDF has deployed additional snipers and hundreds of troops in main friction spots along the Gaza border fence in anticipation of violent riots during Nakba day (Catastrophe Day) marking the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

Additional Iron Dome batteries that were deployed across southern Israel during the recent deadly violence between the IDF and terror groups in the Strip remain operational.

While Nakba Day is marked every year with demonstrations and violent clashes in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank,and last year over 60 Palestinians were killed by IDF fire in violent clashes.

The border protests began last March and has seen over half a million people violently demonstrating along the security fence with Israel demanding an end to the 12-year long blockade, congregating at points along the border range between several thousand to 45,000 each day.

This year Nakba day comes a week after a two-day escalation of hostilities between Israel and terror groups in the Strip saw close to 700 rockets fired by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, killing four Israeli civilians. Israel struck hundreds of targets in the coastal enclave in retaliation, killing 25 Palestinians.

It is believed that Hamas will restrain protesters this year and will place Hamas members between protesters and the security fence in an attempt to restrain the violence as part of the ceasefire agreement between the group and Israel.

Thousands of Gazans are expected to take part in the demonstration, with the organizing committee of the weekly Great March of Return protests calling for a general strike on Wednesday, calling on Gazans to join marches along the border with Israel.

School have also been closed by Hamas to allow for students to join the demonstrations along the border fence.

With demonstrations expected across the West Bank and Jerusalem, Ynet news reported that hundreds of additional Border Police officers have been deployed to the Old City in Jerusalem, several East Jerusalem neighborhoods and the crossing between Israel and the West Bank.