Palestinian rioters on the Israel-Gaza Strip border, May 14, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Ibraheem Abu Mustafa.

Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians along the Gaza border on Friday, health officials in the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave said.

The Israeli military said in a statement that troops had used “large amounts of riot dispersal means.” In some cases, when the non-lethal means proved ineffective, live fire was used “in accordance with the standard operating procedures.”

It said thousands of Palestinians had “participated in extremely violent riots,” hurling a grenade and rocks at troops and the border fence and burning tires.

Israel has accused Hamas of stoking the recent violence on the border in an attempt to deflect domestic opinion from Gaza’s energy shortages and faltering economy.