At least 58 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip and over 2,000 wounded. The figures were reported by the Arab nation's Ministry of Health, according to which the victims had gathered – along with several thousand people – near the border guarded by the military. The protesters threw stones at the soldiers, who responded by opening fire.

American diplomacy relocates from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

The protests had been widely anticipated in Gaza, as this afternoon is set to see the inauguration of the new United States embassy in Israel, symbolically relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The holy city had in fact been officially recognised as the capital of the Jewish nation last December by President Donald Trump. At the same time, the American billionaire had promised to move the embassy, thereby putting an end to the diplomatic approach pursued by his predecessors.

CNN Breaking News ✓ @cnnbrk

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Sixteen Palestinians were killed during protests in Gaza, hours before the US was due to open its embassy in Jerusalem, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. cnn.it/2IgHKxq

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Just a few hours earlier, tension in the Palestinian territories had soared. A report by French radio station France Info had conveyed the concerns and anger of the population: among Muslims, many said they hoped for a new Intifada – that is, a "popular uprising" – as had already occurred during the great revolts of 1987 and 2000.

israele ambasciata stati uniti — Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner attended the ceremony marking the relocation of the American embassy to Jerusalem © Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images

Prime minister Netanyahu: "We dreamed of returning to Jerusalem"

Already today, Israeli authorities say they expect tens of thousands of Palestinians at the protest demonstrations organised against the inauguration of the Jerusalem embassy, not only in the Gaza Strip but also in the West Bank. Palestinians have moreover been sustaining the "March of Return" for several weeks now, a protest movement set to reach its peak tomorrow, 15 May, the day on which the Nakba falls: the "catastrophe," that is, the forced and permanent expulsion of thousands of Palestinians at the time of the creation of the state of Israel.

For the American administration, the relocation of the embassy – at whose ceremony Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, a wealthy Orthodox Jewish heir entrusted by the White House with resolving the Middle Eastern question, will be present – represents a gift to Israel on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the nation's creation.

Hoda Abdel-Hamid @HodaAH

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This happened too - pretty sure elites snipers know what and where they are targeting

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A recognition that no American president had ever granted before, and one that was celebrated with great enthusiasm by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "In the Bible, Jerusalem is mentioned 650 times. For three thousand years it has been the capital of our people. And of our people alone. We dreamed of returning to it, and that is what is happening today."

Emergency meeting of the Arab League

The Arab League reacted by announcing an emergency meeting, to be held on Wednesday, with the aim of discussing the transfer of the United States diplomatic mission. A decision described as "illegal" by the organisation's deputy president Said Abu Ali.

Israel, the United States moves its embassy to Jerusalem. Dozens of Palestinians massacred in Gaza