<div>Palestinians are observing a day of national mourning for at least 16 people killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers at the Gaza border yesterday.&nbsp;</div>''<div><br />''</div>''<div>Hundreds more were injured as Palestinians began a wave of protests, demanding a right to return to former family homes in what is now Israel.</div>''<div><br />''</div>''<div>UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an independent investigation into the deaths. Israeli officials said soldiers opened fire after rioting broke out.</div>''<div><br />''</div>''<div>The UN Security Council condemned the violence after an emergency session. UN Deputy political affairs chief Taye-Brook Zerihoun told the council that Israel must uphold its responsibilities under international human rights and humanitarian law.&nbsp;</div>''<div><br />''</div>''<div>In a written statement before the meeting, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, blamed the bloodshed on Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory. <br />''</div>