The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) has reported that Israeli soldiers shot a 25-year-old Palestinian man east of Bureij refugee camp on Saturday [27 July] evening. Health ministry spokesman Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra told PIC that the victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds after Israeli soldiers opened fire shortly before Iftar, and he described the man’s condition as moderate. The Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza is located near the “access restricted area” (ARA) established by Israel along the perimeter fence that separates Gaza from Israel. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA OPT), up to 35% of Gaza’s agricultural land is affected by the access restricted area.

The UN notes that Israel’s enforcement of the ARA “places civilians at serious physical risk”, and that “methods of enforcement include the use of live ammunition… levelling of farm land, destruction of private and public property…” Israeli forces routinely shoot at civilians near the perimeter fence, and the UN reports that “Israeli incursions have occurred regularly and many schools have been repeatedly damaged in hostilities.”