Israel has set new ground rules with regard to the Gaza border and has no intention of changing them, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Tuesday as he conducted a tour of the area ahead of the expected renewal of mass protests by Palestinians on the border on Friday.

“I think the other side [the Palestinians] have understood that it isn’t worth their while to continue, and I warn them against further provocation” Liberman said. “We’ve set clear rules and we don’t plan on changing them,” he added, referring to the IDF’s policy of shooting protesters who approach the fence.

Last Friday, 17 Palestinians were killed and hundreds were injured after some 30,000 Palestinians protested at several locations along the border. At least 11 of the dead were known terrorists belonging to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and global jihad groups. The IDF said that demonstrators had thrown stones and firebombs and that terrorist groups had used the demonstrations as cover to attack IDF soldiers and border infrastructure. Among the Palestinian dead were two members of an armed cell that shot at troops along the border.

When asked if he is worried about the number of protesters killed during last Friday’s protest, Liberman responded: “We must understand that most of those killed were terrorists which we know well, operatives in Hamas’ military wing and the Islamic Jihad, these aren’t innocent civilians taking part in a civil protest.”