Nine Palestinians were targeted, on Friday afternoon, with tear gas fired by the Israeli military stationed east of the northern Gaza town of Jabalya.Spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Dr Ashraf al-Qedra, told Al Ray that ‘Israeli forces east of Jabalya fired tear gas bombs on three ambalances injuring five paramedics.’
And Al Ray reporter confirmed the injury of four others as a result of the firing.
On Fridays, MoH vehicles are usually stationed near the Shuhada’ Cemetery on the Israeli border, in anticipation of any injuries or incidents arising from the weekly protests against the ‘buffer zone’.
Qedra said that the injuries were moderate, pointing to damage inflicted on an ambulance as a result of the assault.
Israeli occupation imposes a buffer-zone of 300 to 500 meters into the Gaza Strip, allowing the military to fire on farmers or anyone found approaching in this areas.
The buffer zone is between 500 meters and 1500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.
According to UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza’s total land area and 35 percent of its agricultural land were within the buffer zone as of 2010, directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gazans.
