Friday, December 10, 2010

Medic: Soldiers fire at teen near Gaza border

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli soldiers fired at a Palestinian teenager collecting rubble near Gaza's border on Friday afternoon, medics said.

Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmia said the 16-year-old was shot north of Beit Lahiya and transferred to the Dar Ash-Shifa hospital in a stable condition.

Abu Salmia said the incident brings the number of workers injured at the border to 96 since March.

Palestinian workers collect gravel and rubble from the remains of Israeli settlements near the border to sell for recycling.

Israel declared a "buffer zone" along the border inside the Strip, which officially extends 300 meters into the coastal enclave. Its military considers it a "combat zone" and fires at Palestinians who enter the area.

A UN study in August found that in practice, Palestinians have been prevented from accessing land up to 1,500 inside the border.