Palestinians burn tires near the Gaza border with Israel on May 4, 2018, as part of weekly riots led by Hamas since March 30. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The steering committee that leads the weekly riots on the Israel-Gaza border is inaugurating a children’s park near a border area that has been a focal point for the often violent disturbances, Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot reported on Sunday.

According to the report, the so-called “Park of Return” is already prepared for use and includes games, entertainment facilities, lawns, gardens, a promenade, shaded areas for picnics, and fountains.

The committee said, “The park is a message of our people’s life and continuity in the face of the occupation, that we are rooted in our land and cling to hope and life.”

The park is likely a response to criticism of the ruling Hamas terrorist group that it has been deliberately putting children in harm’s way during the riots, the Yediot report states.

This criticism has also taken on a class dimension, as Hamas is being blamed for exploiting the children of the poor, who are disproportionately placed among the rioters, while children from wealthy and connected families are not.

There are also claims that Hamas is not funding medical care for children injured in the riots.

To mark the opening of the park, further riots were held under the name “Our Martyrs,” which the committee called “an appeal to the international community to appeal to the International Court of Justice in The Hague against Israel for its crimes against the children in the Gaza Strip.”