Israeli forces penetrate half kilometer into Gaza; burn fields

Published yesterday (updated) 17/07/2009 18:10

Gaza - Ma’an - Israeli forces made their deepest incursion into the Gaza Strip in months near Beit Hanoun, penetrating 500 meters past the buffer zone to burn 150 dunums of land.

The agricultural field of wheat and barley crops belonging to the Shabat family was destroyed after an Israeli militarized vehicle left the Erez District Coordination Office (DCO) and drove into the Strip, stopping only to set the land on fire. Dry weather meant the crops burned quickly, consuming the much needed grains.

The incident is a string in what farmers call persistent attempts by Israeli soldiers to prevent the harvesting of crops outside the Israeli-patrolled buffer zone near the Gaza border fence. Locals reported almost daily patrols of military jeeps on the outskirts of the town.

Israeli forces burn orchards northern Gaza

Please wait ... Gaza, July 17, 2009 (Ramattan) – The Israeli army burned on Friday several orchards in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources said. The sources added that several agricultural fields were burned as the Israeli soldiers thrust into the eastern tip of the city of Bait Hanoun north of Gaza. A considerable damage was done, no injuries were reported. Earlier on Friday, the Israeli navy opened heavy fire at Gaza coast targeting the fishermen and their boats, no injuries were reported.

IOF soldiers set fire to Palestinian farmland
[ 18/07/2009 - 10:02 AM ]

BEIT HANUN, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Friday advanced into northern Gaza Strip in army jeeps and set 150 dunums of Palestinian farmland on fire, eyewitnesses reported.

They said that the soldiers advanced 500 meters into Beit Hanun town and burnt the wheat and barley crops in the area.

Shabat family that owns the farmland said that they could not harvest their crops because of the proximity of their lands to the border fence between the Strip and Palestinian lands occupied in 1948 where IOF troops shoot at anyone approaching the area.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank village of Yabad, Jenin district, inhabitants have complained that Jewish settlers in the adjacent settlement of Mevo Dotan were cutting off their water supply at random.

They said that the settlers frequently close the pipeline supplying the town with water from the nearby water well.

The villagers said that their suffering has been ongoing for the past two months, and appealed to human rights organizations to intervene and find a solution to this crisis.

IOF soldiers rounded up two Palestinian citizens in the West Bank on Friday including a young man near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil on charges of possessing a knife.