THE UN high commissioner for human rights has urged Israel to refrain from using excessive force against Palestinians.

It comes as hundreds gathered near the Gaza-Israel border for a fifth round of weekly protests.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Israeli troops have not heeded warnings by the UN and others, repeatedly using lethal force against unarmed protesters over the past month.

Since the weekly marches began, 35 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1500 wounded by Israeli soldiers firing from across the border fence, according to Gaza health officials. Among those killed were four minors, including a 14-year-old boy.

“The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators – not once, not twice, but repeatedly,” the commissioner said.

The marches have been organised by Gaza’s Hamas rulers, but have also been driven by widespread despair in the coastal territory of two million people after more than a decade of closed borders.

Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade in 2007 in response to a violent takeover of Gaza by the Islamic militant Hamas, which had won Palestinian parliament elections a year earlier.

The blockade has gutted Gaza’s economy, raising unemployment.