ISRAELI FORCES OPEN FIRE ON FARMERS IN EASTERN KHAN YOUNIS

Gaza, 9 Rajab 1436/28 April 2015 (MINA)– Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian farmers east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip Tuesday morning, with no injuries reported.

Witnesses said that Israeli soldiers deployed along the border of Khuzaa east of Khan Younis had targeted Palestinian homes and land.

Several homes were damaged and farmers were forced to flee their lands, witnesses said, Maan News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Sources added that Israeli planes are continuing to spray crops along the eastern Khan Younis border with poisonous pesticides that burn crops.

Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on Gazans since the ceasefire agreement signed Aug. 26, 2014 that ended a devastating 50-day war between Israel and Hamas.

In March alone, there were a total of 38 incidents of shootings, incursions into the coastal enclave, and arrests, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

That was up from 26 incidents through February, and left seven Palestinians injured and one dead.

The attacks come despite Israeli promises at the end of the ceasefire to ease restrictions on Palestinian access to both the sea and the border region near the “security buffer zone.” (T/P010/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)