Israeli soldiers stationed at the Gaza border shot a 22-year old farmer who was working his field, on Sunday afternoon, in an area designated by the Israeli military as a ‘no-go zone’, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.Since the 50-day long Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip that ended on August 27th, Israeli forces have expanded the ‘no-go zone’ along the Gaza border, thus effectively annexing for Israel 40% of the remaining land area of the already extremely crowded Gaza Strip.
According to the initial ceasefire agreement, the ‘no-go zone’ was supposed to be reduced to 100 meters of the border fence and, while following the ceasefire farmers were initially able to reach their land, that soon changed, and Israeli soldiers began quickly expanding the ‘no go zone’, and there is no set distance where Palestinians are sure that they can be safe to farm their land.
Any Palestinian who tries to farm their land or otherwise enter the ‘no-go zone’ is subjected to being shot by Israeli snipers stationed at the border.
According to local sources, Rajab Marouf, 22, was tending his land near Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza, when he was shot in the leg by Israeli snipers. He was taken to the Kamal Adwan Hospital, where his injury was described as moderate.
The Ma’an News Agency reports that the Israeli military spokesperson told their reporters that ‘there were two suspects that approached the security fence’, and that soldiers fired ‘warning shots in the air and at the lower extremities and then the suspects moved away.’
