Palestinian wounded by Israeli fire on Gaza border
Suspect approaches border fence despite being warned to stop, army says; is in moderate condition
A Palestinian farmer was wounded on Wednesday after being shot by Israeli troops near the border in southern Gaza, health officials said.
The man was shot as he approached the Gaza border fence in an area east of Khan Yunis, an IDF spokesman told The Times of Israel.
But Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said the man, 22, was shot as he farmed land near the border in an area east of Khan Yunis.
He had been hit in the stomach and was in a moderate condition, al-Qudra said.
The army said that the suspect neared the fence, and was warned to stop by IDF troops, who proceeded to fire warning shots into the air.
When he refused to halt, soldiers fired toward his lower extremities, according to the army.
Israel maintains a security buffer zone along the inside of the border but allows “civilian access on foot to areas up to 100 meters from the perimeter fence, for agricultural purposes only,” the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) says.
AFP contributed to this report.