GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza's health ministry says two Palestinians have died days after they were shot and wounded by Israeli gunfire during border protests.

The ministry says Saturday the two, aged 20 and 58 respectively, had been in critical condition.

The two were shot on Monday, when Israeli troops killed 59 Palestinians in what turned out to be the deadliest day of cross-border violence in recent years. It marked the climax of weeks of mass protests at the border with Israel.

Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza, says it aims to relax an Israeli-Egyptian blockade on the territory through the protests.

Since the demonstrations began March 30, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,500 wounded by live fire, according to the Health Ministry.