JERUSALEM (JTA) — A 25-year-old Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli troops near the border in the central Gaza Strip, the Palestinians are reporting.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man as Ahmed Omar Arfa and said he was shot in his chest with live fire east of the Bureij refugee camp, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. He died at a Gaza hospital, according to the report.

Arfa was attempting to vandalize the border fence when he was shot, Israel’s Hadashot news reported, citing Palestinian reports.

Wafa reported that 17 Palestinian men have been killed since Palestinian protests started Friday on the border with the March of Return. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been injured, the Gaza Health Ministry told Wafa.

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