Four Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire during demonstrations along the Gaza Strip border on Friday, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.

Another 85 people were injured during the border protests on Friday, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said.

Palestinians have been staging semi-regular protests along the Gaza border since March. The demonstrations, which often include stone-throwing and other violent acts, are aimed at pressuring Israel into lifting a decade-long blockade on the coastal enclave.

Protesters also say that they want to return to lands Palestinians fled during the war that marked Israel's creation in 1948.

Israel accuses Hamas of using the protests as a mask to carry out attacks on Israeli soldiers and border communities.

More than 200 Palestinians have been killed since March 30, with the majority of the deaths coming during the border protests.

Gaza - home to around 2 million people - is suffering from a severe lack of electricity and clean drinking water. The enclave has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.