A Palestinian hurls stones at Israeli troops during riots on the Gaza border, April 1, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa.

A Palestinian rioter was killed by IDF fire during the latest round of weekly border clashes on Friday, Palestinian health officials said.

They said Karam Fayyad, 26, was killed and six others were wounded by live Israeli fire during Friday’s riots on the Gaza border that went ahead despite stormy weather.

“Troops resorted to live fire after confronting 5,000 rioters, some of whom threw rocks and grenades,” said an Israeli military spokeswoman.

She added that two Palestinian protesters briefly crossed the fence before returning into Gaza.

Health officials in Gaza, which is run by the Islamist Hamas movement, say more than 220 Palestinians have been killed since the border riots began on March 30. A large number of those killed have been revealed to be Hamas members.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has openly stated that the purpose of the riots is to infiltrate Israel and kill its citizens. “We will take down the border and tear out their hearts from their bodies,” he said.

Israel has stated that it only employs live fire against rioters attempting to breach the border fence or commit terrorist actions.