Updated

The Israeli military's use of live fire against Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border is facing its first legal test before the Supreme Court.

Six human rights groups asked the court on Monday to restrict or ban the use of live ammunition, after 39 Palestinian were killed and more than 1,600 wounded in weekly border protests over the past month.

The rights groups say rules of engagement of law enforcement apply, under which officers can only resort to lethal force if their lives are in imminent danger. They say the military's use of lethal force against unarmed protesters is unlawful.

Israel's military argues that the border protests are part of a long-running conflict with Gaza's ruling Hamas, which it considers a terror group. Israel says rules of armed conflict apply.