Palestinians accused Israeli forces on Monday of shooting a 65-year-old Gazan on his farm near the border with Israel. The Israeli military said it had no knowledge of the shooting.
The farmer’s son said that three gunshots were fired from an Israeli watchtower overlooking the family’s property, which is close to the security fence that marks the border, and that one of the bullets hit his father in the neck. Israeli forces, wary of Palestinian militants’ trying to come into Israel, have warned people in Gaza not to approach the fence.
Cross-border violence has simmered for weeks. Hours after the farmer was reported dead, Palestinian militants fired three rockets at the Israeli coastal area north of Gaza. No injuries were reported.
On Saturday, a mortar shell fired from Gaza wounded three Thai agricultural workers on an Israeli farm near the border. The Islamic Jihad movement claimed responsibility for the mortar fire. Also on Saturday, an Israeli soldier was killed in a “friendly fire” episode along the Gaza border during a firefight with Palestinian militants on the other side.
Front Page Features