The internet is offended at The New York Times' description of deaths and violence amid protests on the Gaza border

REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

A female Palestinian demonstrator gestures during a protest against the US embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border, east of Gaza City May 14, 2018.

• A New York Times tweet containing the link to one of its news articles went viral as people on social media took issue with its description of deaths and violence amid protests on the Gaza border.
• "Dozens of Palestinians have died in protests as the U.S. prepares to open its Jerusalem Embassy," The Times's tweet read.
• "'Have died.' Shame on you," director Judd Apatow said in a tweet. "This is like calling Trump's lies 'factual inaccuracies.' Please tell me an intern is running your twitter feed.'"
• Apatow's tweet received over 17,000 likes and over 4,000 retweets as of this story's publication.

A New York Times tweet containing a link to one of its news articles has gone viral after people on social media took issue with its description of deaths and violence amid protests on the Gaza border.

"Dozens of Palestinians have died in protests as the U.S. prepares to open its Jerusalem Embassy," The Times's tweet read.

The tweet was linked to an in-depth story on the protests with the headline that said: "Israel Kills Dozens at Gaza Border as U.S. Embassy Opens in Jerusalem."

Clashes with Israeli forces have left least 58 Palestinians dead and 2,700 were injured during massive protests at the Gaza border. Israel deemed some protesters a threat for throwing rocks and explosives, and attempting to cross the border, according to multiple reports.

"'Have died.' Shame on you," director Judd Apatow said in a tweet. "This is like calling Trump's lies 'factual inaccuracies.' Please tell me an intern is running your twitter feed."

Apatow's tweet received over 17,000 likes and over 4,000 retweets as of this story's publication.

Stephen Kinzer, a former New York Times correspondent and author, called for a narrower interpretation of the Gaza border deaths.

"'Palestinians have died.' Was it an epidemic? Mass suicide? Happened at a hospice?," Kinzer tweeted. "Reminds me of Nixon saying 'Mistakes were made.' No one made them, just like no one killed the Palestinians. It's why I tell my students to avoid the passive voice."

Human-rights organizations criticized Israel's deadly response to the demonstrations: "The fact that live gunfire is once again the sole measure that the Israeli military is using in the field evinces appalling indifference towards human life on the part of senior Israeli government and military officials," Israeli human-rights organization B'Tselem said, according to The Times.

Palestinian leaders condemned Israel's actions and pleaded with the international community to "intervene immediately."

"We are asking the world and especially the Arab World to intervene immediately to end the massacre of our people," Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas said.

The protests largely centered around the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, which lends legitimacy to the belief that Jerusalem should be considered the capital of Israel, while at the same time, sparking furor from Palestinians who also lay claim to the eastern part of the territory.

The US Embassy opened with several high-profile officials in attendance, including first daughter Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin.