JERUSALEM/GAZA: Israeli soldiers fired at a Palestinian militant on the Gaza border on Sunday, the military said, and a Palestinian medic said the man was killed.
It was the second such incident since Saturday, when Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians who attempted to cross the volatile border.
"IDF (Israel Defence Forces) troops spotted an armed terrorist approaching the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip. The terrorist opened fire towards the troops," the military said in a statement.
The soldiers returned fire and an Israeli tank fired at a post belonging to Hamas, the Islamist armed group that rules Gaza.
A Palestinian medic told Reuters the man was killed. The IDF said no Israelis were hurt in the incident.
There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials or from any of Gaza's militant groups.
Hamas has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade and tensions along the border are high with frequent fatalities.
Israel pulled its troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005 but keeps the enclave under a blockade, citing security concerns.
Israeli troops kill militant on Gaza border
Israeli troops kill militant on Gaza border
- Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on Saturday who attempted to cross the volatile border
- Hamas has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade
1,965 Israeli violations recorded against Palestinians in February
- Head of Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission condemns attacks as a continuation of ‘terror’ against Palestinians
- Violations included assaults, uprooting trees, burning fields and preventing olive pickers from accessing their lands
LONDON: Israeli forces and settlers carried out 1,965 attacks across Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank in February, according to a report by the Palestinian Authority.
Muayyad Shaaban, head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, condemned the attacks as a continuation of the “terror” against the Palestinian people, their land and property.
The commission documented 1,454 attacks by Israeli forces and 511 by settlers, most of which were concentrated in the governorates of Hebron with 421 attacks, followed by Nablus with 340, Ramallah and Al-Bireh with 320, and East Jerusalem with 210 attacks.
Violations have included direct beatings of Palestinians, uprooting trees, burning fields, and preventing olive pickers from accessing their lands.
Israeli forces have seized land and demolished homes and agricultural facilities under the pretext of “security,” which has enabled settlers to expand their settlements, according to Wafa news agency.
Shaaban said: “What is taking place represents an organized methodology aimed at emptying the land of its owners and imposing an integrated racist colonial system.”
Israeli settlers have poisoned and uprooted a total of 1,314 trees, including 1,054 olive trees, in the areas of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and Tulkarm. The olive groves have been a lifeline for Palestinians in the West Bank, with an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 families relying on the olive harvest for their livelihoods, according to the UN Human Rights Council.
In February, Israeli forces demolished 122 structures belonging to Palestinians, including 56 inhabited homes, nine uninhabited homes, 34 agricultural facilities and 18 sources of livelihood. More than one-third of these demolitions took place in Jerusalem, totaling 46 structures.
