Locals: Bulldozers level Gaza land under drone surveillance for 7th day

April 12, 2016 9:53 A.M. (Updated: April 12, 2016 4:54 P.M.)

An Israeli D9 bulldozer rolls along the southern Israeli border with the Gaza Strip. (AFP/File)

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli bulldozers under the surveillance of Israeli military drones razed Palestinian lands near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday for the seventh day in a row, locals said.Locals told Ma’an that the bulldozers crossed through the borderline with Israel into al-Nahda neighborhood of eastern Rafah as military drones flew overhead.Several bulldozers also crossed from the Kisufim military site into al-Qarrara in northeastern Khan Yunis and leveled land in the area, witnesses said.An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an they were looking into the reports.Israeli military forces enter the blockaded Gaza Strip on a near-daily basis, often to the detriment of Palestinian locals who work near the border on both land and sea sides.While the army typically cites “routine activity” in the Israeli-enforced “buffer zone” along the border with Israel and off of Gaza’s coast, forces often open fire on Palestinian farmers and fishermen working near the zone.A 13-year-old Palestinian child was shot and injured by Israeli forces on Monday while herding cattle in Hujr al-Dik area in the central Gaza Strip on Monday, according to witnesses.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported at least 30 incidents of Israeli military forces opening fire in the "buffer zone" in the first week of April alone, in two cases injuring Palestinians were were as far as 350 meters away from the border.The Israeli army says the use of live fire is necessary to deter potential "security threats." However, the practice has destroyed much of both the agricultural and fishing sectors of the impoverished coastal enclave, which has been under Israeli blockade for nearly a decade.

Israeli forces shoot, injure Palestinian boy in Gaza Strip

April 11, 2016 8:49 P.M. (Updated: April 12, 2016 9:53 A.M.)


GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Monday shot and injured a Palestinian boy in the central Gaza Strip.

Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli forces deployed near Hujr al-Dik area in central Gaza Strip opened fire at a young teenager herding cattle, injuring him in the foot. Medical sources identified him as Amir al-Tarabin,13, and said he was in moderate condition.An Israeli army spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli forces frequently open fire on Palestinians inside of or near a military-imposed “buffer zone” on both land and seaside borders of the besieged enclave.The exact limits of the zone are unclear but enforced with live fire, putting the lives of Palestinian farmers and fishermen who work near the border at risk. The Israeli army says the use of live fire is necessary to deter potential "security threats." However, the practice has destroyed much of both the agricultural and fishing sectors of the impoverished coastal enclave, which has been under Israeli blockade nearly nine years.

Israeli forces shoot, injure Palestinian in Gaza

Feb. 22, 2016 10:18 P.M. (Updated: Feb. 22, 2016 10:47 P.M.)

 

GAZA (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and moderately wounded a Palestinian man in the al-Mintar area east of Gaza City on Monday afternoon, medical sources told Ma'an.The man, who was shot in his foot, was evacuated to al-Shifaa hospital.The circumstances in which he was shot were not initially clear, although medics said he was with a group of Palestinians when Israeli forces opened fire.An Israeli army spokesperson had no immediate information on the reports.Palestinians regularly face live fire from Israeli forces inside the "buffer zone" along the border between Gaza and Israel.The Israeli army says the use of live fire is necessary to deter potential "security threats," although the practice has destroyed much of both the agricultural and fishing sectors of the impoverished coastal enclave.

Israeli forces shoot, injure Palestinian woman in southern Gaza

Dec. 22, 2015 4:15 P.M. (Updated: Dec. 22, 2015 7:36 P.M.)

 

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Tuesday shot and wounded a Palestinian woman with live fire when she approached the border fence east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, local sources told Ma'an.Medics said the woman had been working on agricultural fields when she was shot. She was evacuated by ambulance to Nasser Hospital.An Israeli army spokesperson said the woman had "breached the buffer zone in the southern Gaza Strip near Khan Younis."She said Israeli forces fired "warning shots into the air, calling on the suspect to halt," and when the woman "refused," they aimed at her and a hit was confirmed.Some 20 Palestinians have been killed in the beleaguered Gaza Strip since a wave of unrest swept the occupied Palestinian territory at the beginning of October. The majority in Gaza were killed during demonstrations at the border fence, while a 2-year-old girl and her pregnant mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their home in October.The United Nations has condemned the Israeli army's "excessive use of force, and violations of the right to life and security of the person."

Israeli forces shoot, injure Gazan farmer near Rafah

Dec. 13, 2015 5:59 P.M. (Updated: Dec. 13, 2015 6:39 P.M.)

Palestinians harvest a field of cucumbers on the outskirts of Gaza City. (AFP/File)

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces on Sunday shot and injured a Palestinian farmer east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, locals and medics said.

Locals told Ma’an that Israeli soldiers stationed on the Israeli side of the border fence near the Kerem Shalom military post opened fire at Palestinian farmers working on their land at the time, hitting a farmer in his twenties.

Medics at Abu Yousif al-Najjar hospital said that the victim had been treated for wounds in his left leg.

An Israeli army spokesperson did not have immediate information on the incident.

Israeli forces regularly open fire on Palestinian farmers as well as fishermen whose work takes them close to a “security buffer zone” imposed by Israel on both land and seaside borders of the besieged enclave.

Ninety-five percent of Gaza's arable land lies along the zone that is routinely restricted to Palestinians in the strip, making it impossible for many farmers to access their land without serious risk, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

On Friday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 41-year-old Palestinian and injured at least 58 with live fire during a demonstration near the border fence.

Israeli forces shoot dead two boys, aged 13 and 15, in Gaza

Oct. 10, 2015 5:32 P.M. (Updated: Oct. 11, 2015 12:00 A.M.)

A Palestinian protester, looks on during clashes with Israeli forces near the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip on October 9, 2015. (AFP/Mohammed Abed/File)

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Saturday shot and killed two Palestinian boys, aged 13 and 15, at a demonstration in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that Marwan Barbakh, 13, and Khalil Othman, 15, were shot dead during the protest to the east of Khan Younis.

Medics initially reported that Barbakh was 12 years old.

At least 15 others were injured during the protest, the ministry said, although it did not provide further details.

The Palestinian Red Crescent later said that its ambulance crews had treated seven Palestinians shot with live rounds across the Gaza Strip, in addition to 21 who suffered excessive tear gas inhalation.

An Israeli army spokeswoman had no immediate comment.

Earlier Saturday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the international community for "remain(ing) silent about Israeli war crimes."

He accused Israel of committing war crimes against the Palestinian people "through the execution of young Palestinian men and women at the scene of action," noting in particular the shooting of Palestinians following alleged stabbing attacks.

The two boys' deaths come after seven Palestinians were killed when Israeli snipers opened fire on demonstrations near Gaza's border fence on Friday, also east of Khan Younis.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli forces injured 145 other Palestinians by live fire or rubber-coated steel bullets during the protests.

The two boys' deaths brings the total number of Palestinians killed by Israel's army to 20 since fierce clashes swept the occupied Palestinian territory on Oct. 1, with around 1,000 injured with live and rubber-coated steel bullets in the same period.

Four Israelis have also been killed, two of whom were settlers.

The Israeli army has come under repeated criticism over its violence toward children.

Defense for Children-Palestine said in a report last month that Israeli forces and Jewish extremists had killed at least 1,991 children since 2000.

Among those, 535 children were killed directly by Israeli attacks during the 2014 offensive on Gaza, nearly 70 percent of whom were under the age of 12.

A further 3,306 children were injured during the war, including more than 1,000 who suffered permanent disability, the report said.

Following the conflict, the UN said: "There is not a single child who has not been adversely affected by the recent conflict in Gaza, where children suffer from bed-wetting, difficulties in sleeping, nightmares, a loss of appetite, and display more aggressive behavior at school."

Gaza demo death toll rises as 7th dies from injuries

Oct. 10, 2015 9:38 A.M. (Updated: Oct. 10, 2015 5:33 P.M.)

Palestinian men carry a man wounded during clashes with Israeli security forces, outside a hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 9, 2015. (AFP)

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Twenty-two year old Jihad Salim al-Ubeid died Saturday morning from wounds sustained after being shot by Israeli snipers during a demonstration Friday, Gaza's ministry of health said.

The young man's death brings the total killed by Israeli forces during demonstrations in Gaza on Friday to seven. The demonstrations were held near the border fence with Israel east of Gaza City and near Khan Younis.

A spokesman for Gaza's ministry of health, Ashraf al-Qidra, confirmed to Ma'an that al-Ubeid, from the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, succumbed to his wounds after being shot and critically injured when Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinians gathered around 100 meters from the border fence.

On Friday, Shadi Hussam Dawla, 20, Ahmad al-Harbawi, 20, and Abed al-Wahidi, 20, were shot and killed east of the al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood.Muhammad al-Raqeb, 15, and Ziad Nabil Sharaf, 20, were killed after being shot by Israeli forces near Khan Younis while Adnan Moussa Abu Elayyan, 22, was shot in the head and killed in the same area.

One hundred and forty-five other Palestinians were injured by live fire or rubber-coated steel bullets during the Gaza demonstrations, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an at the time that 200 Palestinians approached the security fence and hurled rocks and rolled burning tires at Israeli forces.

Israeli forces responded with live fire towards the "main instigators," she said, confirming five direct hits.Al-Ubeid's death comes as tensions continue to rise across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories following a series of stabbing attacks by both Israelis and Palestinians, violent attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians, and increased restrictions on Palestinians around the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City.

Fifteen Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and around 1,000 injured with live and rubber-coated steel bullets in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip since Oct. 1.Nine of those killed have been shot dead during demonstrations and clashes.Four Israelis have been killed during the same time period, two of whom were Israeli settlers.

3 Palestinians killed as Israeli forces open fire at Gaza demo

Israeli soldiers on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip. (AFP/File Menahem Kahana)

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Three Palestinians were killed and 19 others injured as Israeli military forces opened fire at a demonstration by the border fence east of Gaza City, medics said.

Medical sources told Ma'an that Ahmad al-Harbawi, Abed al-Wahidi, and Hussam Dawla were shot and killed during the clashes east of the al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood east of Gaza City.

At least 19 other Palestinians were injured.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an that 200 Palestinians approached the security fence and hurled rocks and rolled burning tires at Israeli forces.

Israeli forces responded with live fire towards the "main instigators," she said, confirming five direct hits.

The deaths in Gaza come amid renewed violence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on Friday.

In the Israeli city of Dimona, an Israeli teenager stabbed four Palestinian Bedouins who worked for the local municipality, seriously injuring two.

A Palestinian was shot and killed in the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba after attempting to stab an Israeli border officer, police said, while a Palestinian woman was also shot in Afula after allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli security guard.

Tensions had been mounting steadily for weeks across the occupied Palestinian territory due to Israeli restrictions on Palestinians seeking to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem.

At least 900 Palestinians have been injured in seven consecutive days of demonstrations and clashes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, at least 60 with live fire, medics say.

Gaza Strip: Attacks in the border areas and their consequences

PCHR

Thursday, 10 September 2015 00:00

Following disengagement from the Gaza Strip in September 2005, Israel unilaterally and illegally established a so-called “buffer zone”, an area prohibited to Palestinians along the land and sea borders of the Gaza Strip. The precise area designated by Israel as a “buffer zone” is not clear and this Israeli policy is typically enforced with live fire. The establishment of the ‘buffer zone’ is illegal under both Israeli and international law.



Preventing Palestinians from accessing their lands and fishing areas violates numerous provisions of international human rights law, including the right to work, the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to the highest attainable standard of health. Enforcing the “buffer zone” through the use of live fire often results in, inter alia, the direct targeting of civilians and/or indiscriminate attacks, both of which constitute war crimes.



Following the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in November 2012, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian armed groups was brokered by the Egyptian government, which included terms related to access to land and sea. In an online statement on 25 February 2013, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) declared that fishermen could now access the sea up to six nautical miles offshore, and that farmers could now access lands in the border area up to 100m from the border fence. However, both references have since been removed from the statement.



Then, on 21 March 2013, the Israeli forces’ spokesperson announced re-reducing the fishing area allowed for Palestinian fishermen from 6 nautical miles to 3 nautical miles.  However, on 21 May 2013, Israeli authorities decided to allow fishermen to sail up to 6 nautical miles.



Following the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip (08 July - 26 August 2014), a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian armed groups was brokered by the Egyptian government, which allowed fishermen to sail up to 6 nautical miles.  However, the Israeli naval forces have not allowed fishermen to sail up to this limit as all Israeli attacks have taken place within the 6-nautical- mile fishing area.

Dimensions

On land, inside Palestinian territory Distance from the border fence, up to which access is permitted: · Second Intifada (2000): 150 metres · According to Israel (2010) :300 metres · 22 November 2012: unclear parameters · 21 March 2013: 300 metres In reality, attacks against civilians take place anywhere upto approximately 1.5 kilometres inside the border fence. This constitutes approximately 17% of the total territory of the Gaza Strip.

At sea, off the coast of the Gaza Strip Distance from the shore, up to which access is permitted: · Oslo Accords (1994): 20 nautical miles (nm) · Bertini Commitment (2002): 12 nm · October 2006: 6 nm · End of 2007 : 3 nm · 22 November 2012: 6 nm · 25 February 2013: unknown · 12 March 2013: 3 nm · 21 May 2013: 6 nm In addition, access is consistently denied in the following areas: · 1.5 nm in the north along the maritime boundary with Israel · 1 nm in the south along the maritime boundary with Egypt

Impact

On land · Approximately 27,000 dunums, 35% of the Gaza Strip's agricultural land, can only be accessed under high personal risk, as Israeli attacks may result in injury or death of civilians. · 95% of the restricted area is arable land. · After the evacuation of settlements (2005) and ‘Operation Cast Lead’ (2008-2009), the majority of Palestinian families living in the border areas abandoned their land and homes.

At sea · Palestinians are completely prevented from accessing 85% of the Palestinian maritime areas recognised in the 1994 Gaza Jericho Agreement. · Approximately 3,700 fishermen work under high personal risk every day at sea. · Approximately 8,200 persons work in the fishing industry. · Approximately 65,000 persons, including individuals who work in the fishing industry and their dependents, are affected by the “buffer zone” restrictions at sea. · The area near the coast is markedly over-fished.

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 Note:
Four Palestinian civilians were arrested at the Beit Hanoun "Erez" Crossing.

Israeli forces cross Gaza border, level lands

Israeli soldiers patrol the border with the Gaza Strip. (AFP/Menahem Kahana/File)

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli military vehicles on Tuesday morning crossed the border into the southern Gaza Strip and leveled Palestinian land, witnesses told Ma'an.Witnesses said that four bulldozers leveled land on the Palestinian side of the border fence in the eastern outskirts of Khuzaa town east of Khan Younis.Israeli soldiers used smoke grenades to conceal the movement of bulldozers and Palestinian farmers left their fields fearing possible shootings.Israeli forces have made repeated incursions into the Gaza Strip over the past year and have frequently opened fire on Palestinians who approach the border "buffer zone."In July alone, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights counted 27 incidents of shootings, incursions into the territory, and arrests.This included 18 shootings on land and at sea that left nine Palestinians injured, PCHR reported.