ISRAELI FORCES SHOOT, INJURE PALESTINIAN IN GAZA

Gaza, 26 Rabiul Awwal 1436/17 January 2015 (MINA)– Israeli forces late Friday shot and injured a young Palestinian man near the northeastern border of the Gaza Strip, a ministry spokesman said.

Ministry of Health spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said a 24-year-old Palestinian was shot by Israeli forces in the foot and taken to al-Shifa hospital for treatment.

On Jan. 2, a 25-year-old man was shot in both feet from one of the watchtowers near the border with Israel east of Jabaliya in northern Gaza, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Israeli forces frequently shoot at farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip if they approach large swathes of land near the border that the Israeli military has deemed off-limits to Palestinians.

The “security buffer zone” extends between 500 meters and 1,500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.

According to UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza’s total land area and 35 percent of its agricultural land were within the buffer zone as of 2010, directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gazans. (T/P010/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)