Soldiers shoot at Palestinians approaching Gaza border
Five said wounded; IDF says troops fired at legs of men who failed to heed warnings
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IDF soldiers wounded five Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday, a Palestinian health ministry spokesman told Ma’an News Agency.
Ashraf al-Qidra said the Palestinians were hospitalized with moderate injuries after being shot near the Israel-Gaza border.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office said dozens of Palestinians approached the no-man’s-land near the border fence and failed to heed the soldiers’ warnings to back away.
After failing to clear the area, even in the face of non-lethal protest dispersing fire, the soldiers acted according to the rules of engagement, first shooting warning shots in the air and then shooting live ammunition towards the ringleaders’ legs, said a spokesperson.
Palestinian sources said Hamas planned to file a complaint about the incident to Egypt, accusing Israel of violating the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire agreement.
The Times of Israel Community.