PARIS - France on Saturday condemned “indiscriminate fire” by the Israeli army in the latest border clashes that left nine Palestinians dead in the Gaza strip. “France reiterates its strong disapproval of the indiscriminate fire of the Israeli army. All possible light must be shed on these serious events,” Agnes von der Muhll, spokeswoman for the French foreign ministry, said in a statement.

“France calls on the authorities concerned to exercise the utmost restraint and stresses that the use of force must be proportionate, in accordance with international humanitarian law to prevent further victims,” the statement added. The nine dead Palestinians, including a journalist, were buried in Gaza on Saturday.

They were among thousands of protesters who approached the border fence around Gaza for a second Friday in a row, burning tyres and hurling stones at Israeli forces, who responded with tear gas and live ammunition.

In addition to the nine dead, at least 491 were wounded by Israeli gunfire, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said.