Palestinian shepherd wounded in IOF shooting

[ 27/10/2011 - 07:12 PM ]

RAFAH, (PIC)-- A Palestinian shepherd was wounded on Thursday evening when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at him east of Rafah south of the Gaza Strip. Local and medical sources told the PIC that the 32-year-old shepherd was grazing his sheep when the IOF troops fired at him wounding him in his hand and foot. They said that the shepherd, Mustafa Ermaylat, was taken to hospital in Rafah where his condition was described as moderate. Medics: Palestinian injured east of Rafah Published yesterday (updated) 27/10/2011 22:27 An Israeli tank drives near the border between the northern Gaza Strip and Israel near Kibbutz Mefalsim (MaanImages/Moti Milrod, File) GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A medical official said a Palestinian man sustained injuries Thursday east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, while Israel's army denied involvement. Medical spokesman in Gaza Adham Abu Salmiya said a 32-year-old identified only as MA suffered an injury to his left hand after Israeli forces opened fire. He was taken to Abu Yousef An-Najjar hospital and then to the European hospital. An army spokeswoman said the military was not aware of the incident. Earlier, Israeli warplanes launched four airstrikes in central and southern Gaza, witnesses and the army said. No injuries were reported. Locals told Ma'an that Israeli fighter jets shelled three open areas and a site used by Hamas' armed wing the al-Qassam Brigades in Khan Younis in the south and Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The Israeli army said its forces targeted "three terror activity sites" in central Gaza and a weapons storage facility in the southern Gaza Strip. "Direct hits were confirmed," the military said in a statement. The army said the strikes were in response to a grad rocket which landed near the city of Ashdod in southern Israel on Wednesday. A spokeswoman said Wednesday the rocket had caused no injury or damage. The airstrikes were the first aerial attack on Gaza since Oct. 1, when Israeli fighter jets struck northern Gaza seriously injuring one man and wounding two others.