Published today (updated) 22/11/2013 21:58
(MaanImages/file)
GAZA (Ma'an) -- Two Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli soldiers east of Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday.
A spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said that two Palestinians in their twenties were shot.
One was shot in the thigh, and one was hit with a bullet fragment in the head, he added.
They were transferred to Kamal Adwan hospital for treatment.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that "a riot erupted as Palestinians gathered near the security fence," and after the Palestinians "sabotaged" the fence, Israeli forces "opened fire on their lower extremities."
Israeli forces frequently shoot farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip if they approach the border fence.
The Gaza Strip has been under a severe economic blockade imposed by the State of Israel since 2006.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
These have been particularly severe given frequently Israeli military assaults, particularly in 2008-9 and 2011, which killed around 1,400 and 170 Gazans respectively and led to major infrastructural damage.
