Israeli forces, on Tuesday, opened fire at Palestinian farmers and bird hunters east of Khan Younis, said witnesses.Soldiers were deployed in vehicles along the border fence in the al-Fakhari area, southern Gaza Strip, where they fired at farmers.
No injuries were reported, according to Ma’an News Agency.
Ma’an further reports that, on Jan. 2, a 25-year-old man was shot in both feet from one of the watchtowers near the border with Israel, east of Jabaliya, in northern Gaza.
Israeli forces frequently shoot at farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip, should they approach the large swathes of land near the border which the Israeli military has deemed off-limits to Palestinians.
The ‘security buffer zone‘ extends between 500 meters and 1,500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.
See related: 05/11/14 Farming Under Siege: Working the Land in Gaza
According to the 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.
See: 12/21/14 94 Israeli Ceasefire Violations Since August
