Published on 04 February 2013, by M. Tomazy.
Israeli soldiers on Friday shot and wounded two Palestinian teens near Gaza’s northern border, medical officials said.
“Two Palestinians, aged 16 and 17, were hit in the legs by Israeli army gunfire east of Jabaliya,” Ashraf al-Qidra, Gaza health ministry spokesperson, told AFP.
An Israeli army spokesman said the two children had strayed "very near" the barrier.
"Several Palestinians came up to the security barrier. The soldiers used tear gas and fired in the air to try to stop them, but without success. They then fired at their legs," he said.
Israel has shot and killed four Palestinians in Gaza, mostly young farmers, since a November 21 ceasefire ended the Jewish state’s recent eight-day assault on the enclave. Soldiers shot and killed four others in the occupied West Bank in separate incidents over the month of January, including two teens.
Soldiers last opened fire on a group of laborers in Gaza Tuesday, injuring one.
As part of the truce agreement, Israel agreed to allow Palestinians to enter what was previously a 300-meter deep no-go zone on the Gaza side of the border.
Palestinians have been allowed to move up to 100 meters from the border, but Israeli soldiers continue to open fire at Palestinians they claim have come closer than that.
(Al-Akhbar English)
