June 13, 2015 4:24 A.M. (Updated: June 14, 2015 12:19 A.M.)
GAZA
CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces deployed near the Sufa crossing in the
southern Gaza Strip opened fire at and injured a Palestinian Saturday,
local sources told Ma'an.An Israeli army spokesperson
confirmed the report, telling Ma'an that a "Palestinian suspect
approached the security fence" and Israeli forces opened fire at his
lower extremities after firing warning shots into the air. One hit was confirmed, and Israeli forces took the man to a hospital in Israel for treatment, she added. The spokesperson did not have confirmation if the injured man would be detained after treatment or returned to the Gaza Strip.Sufa
was one of several crossings between Gaza and Israel to be sealed by
Israeli authorities in 2007 and was permanently closed in 2009, however
is sporadically opened for humanitarian needs, according to Israeli
rights group Gisha: Legal Center for Freedom of Movement.The
border area where Israeli forces opened fire Saturday is part of an
Israeli-enforced "buffer zone" along the Gaza-Israel border as well as
on the western seaside border of the strip.The parameters
of the buffer zone are regularly changed by Israeli authorities, and
Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire toward Palestinian civilians
inside of the buffer zone since the signing of a ceasefire agreement
that ended a more than 50-day war between Israel and Hamas last summer,
according to documentation by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights
(PHCR).Despite shorter distances set by Israeli
authorities, PHCR reports that attacks against Palestinians have taken
place up to approximately 1.5 kilometers inside the border fence.
Constituting around 17 percent of the total territory of the Gaza Strip,
the buffer zone effectively turns local farms into no-go zones.The
buffer zone, which Palestinians are prohibited from entering, "is
illegal under both Israeli and international law," according to PHCR.
