From PIC – The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday evening kidnaped five Palestinian passengers as they tried to travel officially through the border crossing of Beit Hanoun (Erez) and al-Karama in the north and east of the Gaza Strip. According to Asra Media Office, the IOF kidnaped two citizens from Gaza after they went to the Beit Hanoun crossing on the northern border. The detained passengers, who hold businessman permits, were identified as Abdul-Kareem Abu Sa’ada and Ahmed Subuh. Passengers, mostly businessmen and patients, go to the Beit Hanoun crossing in order to be interviewed by Israeli officers and have their requests for travel approved. more  

Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian lands in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday morning, according to locals. Witnesses told Ma’an that Israeli forces deployed behind the border fence in eastern Rafah city opened fire at Palestinian agricultural lands in the area. No injuries were reported. An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an she would look into reports on the incident. Israeli army incursions inside the Palestinian territory have long been a near-daily occurrence, as the Israeli army regularly opens fire on unarmed Palestinian fishermen and farmers along the border areas if they approach Israel’s unilaterally declared “buffer zone,” which lies on both the land and sea sides of Gaza. more

Israeli forces reportedly opened fire at Palestinian shepherds near the border in the central Gaza Strip on Friday. Witnesses said Israeli forces stationed behind the security fence east of Al-Bureij refugee camp opened fire at a group of shepherds near the Abu Qatrun area in central Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported. An Israeli army spokesperson said they was looking into reports. On a near-daily basis, the Israeli army fires "warning shots" at Palestinian fishermen, farmers, and shepherds entering the Israeli-enforced “buffer zone” on land and sea, implemented after Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip nearly a decade ago. more

Israeli troops shot and moderately injured a Palestinian man near the Gaza Strip border on Monday, locals and medical sources told Ma’an. The sources said the man was shot east of al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said the victim was left bleeding on site for half an hour before a Palestinian ambulance could reach him. The man was then evacuated to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Medical sources said the man suffered from a gunshot wound to the leg. Israeli sources said a military patrol came under fire during a “normal activity at the border.” No injuries were reported among Israeli soldiers. Palestinians regularly face live fire from Israeli forces inside and close to the "buffer zone" along the border between Gaza and Israel. more

Israeli forces on Saturday detained three unarmed Palestinians suspected of crossing illegally from the Gaza Strip into Israel, Israel’s army and media said. An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an the three were found during a search in Israel’s Eshkol area and taken for interrogation. Israeli military forces had reportedly opened fire on Palestinian farmlands when the search was launched following reports that individuals had crossed the borderline from the Gaza Strip to Israel. Witnesses told Ma’an that Israeli military vehicles patrolling the border opened fire on agricultural lands in Khuzaa east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, as well as east of al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported. The army spokesperson had no immediate information regarding the use of live fire by the forces, but told Ma’an they were looking into the reports. more

Several explosive devices were reportedly located overnight Monday and Tuesday morning by Israeli military forces on the borderline between the Gaza Strip and Israel, Israel’s army said. Israeli forces “uncovered and defused several explosive devices pointed at Israeli territory” during "routine activity adjacent to the security fence,” an Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an. Witnesses in the area said that they had heard explosions near the Gaza border east of Khan Younis in the southern area of the besieged enclave. The army spokesperson said that initial inquiries indicated the explosive devices had been “planted prior to Operation Protective Edge,” referring to the deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip during the summer of 2014. A Palestinian was killed and three others were injured by Israeli artillery fire last week in the northern Gaza Strip after the Israeli army said the four planned to attack forces on the borderline. more

Israeli soldiers, stationed across the border fence, fired dozens of rounds of live ammunition on Palestinian farmers, working in their lands close to the border fence, east of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers, some on military towers and others in armored vehicles, fired dozens of live rounds, and smoke bombs, at the farmers in their own lands, causing damage but no injuries. The farmers left their lands fearing additional Israeli military escalation. more

Israeli forces have announced heavier deployments at the border area with Gaza following the announcement of a Hamas-prompted "day of rage" planned to take place on Friday, an Israeli army spokesperson said. An Israeli army spokesperson said Israeli authorities undertook a "situational assessment" following increased clashes and upheaval along the Gaza border area and have decided to deploy two more battalions along the Strip for Friday's so-called "day of rage." Clashes have been frequent along the border fence recently, as Gazans have planned protests in solidarity with demonstrations in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Since the start of October, Israeli authorities have reported multiple breaches at the border fence during clashes and Israeli forces have shot dead at least nine Gazans at the protests. Additionally, the spokesperson said that Israel authorities announced that two battalions and two companies of Israeli troops would be...

Israeli forces shot and injured five Palestinians, one critically, during a demonstration on Monday in the Gaza Strip, which has seen near daily rallies since the beginning of the month. Dozens of Palestinian youths took part in the demonstration in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza to rally against ongoing Israeli violations in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Witnesses said that Israeli forces opened fire at the demonstration from military towers injuring five, one critically. Another demonstrator was also reportedly detained. An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an that "hundreds of rioters gathered near the border fence hurling rocks and rolling burning tires." The spokesperson said that Israeli forces responded with "riot-dispersal means," without providing further details. more

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man near the Gazan border Wednesday morning after they said he crossed the border into Israel. An Israeli army spokeswoman said that soldiers went to the scene after they "identified a suspect infiltrating Israel from the sea." She could not confirm how he crossed the border, but said he reached the Israeli side. She said that soldiers fired warning shots and ordered him to halt. When he "did not comply," she said that they fired "at his lower extremities" and a hit was confirmed. She said the Palestinian "was evacuated for medical treatment in an Israeli hospital." Sources at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon told Ma'an that the Gazan had been brought to them. They said he had been hit in the leg and was in a stable condition. more

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Israeli military vehicles entered agricultural lands in a border area in southern Gaza on Monday, local residents said. Witnesses told Ma'an that five Israeli excavators raided the al-Nahda neighborhood near Rafah and leveled Palestinian land. Israeli reconnaissance planes flew overhead during the operation, with Israeli military tanks positioned on the border between Gaza and Israel. Israeli forces frequently shoot at farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip if they approach large swathes of land near the border that the Israeli military has deemed off-limits to Palestinians. The "security buffer zone" extends between 500 meters and 1500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones. more

Israeli forces opened fire on dozens of protesters marching on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip near Khan Younis on Sunday. Witnesses said that Israeli forces opened fired on the protesters as they neared the border, adding that no injuries were reported. The protest was called in opposition to the Israeli-administered blockade of the coastal strip as well as to delays in reconstruction. Protesters were also commemorating the 39th Palestinian "Land Day." Adham Abu Salima, spokesman for a local activist group, the National Committee for Breaking the Siege and Reconstruction, told Ma'an the protest had been called to mark "refusal" of the blockade and to stand up for Gazan families whose homes are in ruins. more

Three Palestinians suffered excessive tear gas inhalation after Israeli forces fired tear-gas canisters at a group of Palestinians east of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, medics said. Israeli forces also opened fire on agricultural lands east of Khan Yunis and east of Rafah, witnesses said. Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on Palestinian civilians near the border since the ceasefire agreement signed Aug. 26, 2014, that ended a more than 50-day assault on Gaza, termed by Israel Operation Protective Edge, that left around 2,200 dead and 11,000 injured. more

Israeli forces on Tuesday morning fired at Palestinian agricultural lands across the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, witnesses said. Witnesses told Ma'an that several Israeli military vehicles stationed near a gate on the border fence east of Khan Younis opened fire several times toward Palestinian fields on the other side of the border. No injuries have been reported. Farmers were forced to leave their fields. more

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) nabbed on Friday evening two Palestinians for allegedly crossing the border fence to the east of Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources said that two Palestinian unarmed citizens were arrested overnight after trying to cross the border fence, adding that heavy Israeli gunfire was heard in the area. Since early November, more than 40 Gazans were nabbed at the hands of IOF soldiers under the pretext of crossing the Israeli border fence in search of work within the Green Line. Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy was detained in Beit Ummar, to the north of al-Khalil, after being stopped at a make-shift military checkpoint at the entrance to the town. more

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinians in the al-Farrahin area east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday. Witnesses said that Israeli forces deployed east of al-Farrahin at the border opened fire on Palestinians as they were hunting birds in an open area near the border. No injuries were reported in the attacks. On Nov. 23, Fadil Muhammad Halawah, 32, was shot dead by Israeli forces while hunting birds east of Jabaliya. Israeli forces frequently shoot at farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip if they approach large swathes of land near the border that the Israeli military has deemed off-limits to Palestinians. The "security buffer zone" extends between 500 meters and 1500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones. According to 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...

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Friday shot a Palestinian man as he tried to cross into Israel from northern Gaza, Israel's army said. An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an that two Palestinians approached the "security fence in the northern Gaza Strip" with the intention of crossing into Israel. Israeli soldiers ordered them to stop and fired in the air and then at their legs when they failed to comply. One man was hit, while both were detained at the scene and taken for questioning. more

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Four Israeli bulldozers entered a border area in southern Gaza Thursday and leveled private Palestinian land, witnesses said. The bulldozers entered into Gaza near the Palestinian village of al-Qarara. The vehicles used the Kisufim border fence gate, located opposite a kibbutz of the same name, to enter the besieged enclave. Military vehicles accompanying the bulldozers fired shots, with no reports of injuries. Since the signing of a ceasefire agreement that ended 50 days of fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in Gaza on Aug. 26, the Israeli navy has in at least four instances fired at Gaza fishermen under the pretext that they had surpassed fishing zone limits. more

Israeli forces fired warning shots near the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, Israel's army said. An Israeli army spokeswoman said warning shots were fired in the air after a crowd of Palestinians began hurling rocks at the security fence. The crowd dispersed following the gunfire, she added. The incident took place east of Gaza City in an area adjacent to the Nahal Oz kibbutz, Israeli media reported. The Israeli security buffer zone around Gaza was meant to be reduced following Tuesday's ceasefire agreement, with farmers initially reporting that they were able to access their fields 100 meters from the border fence. more

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers entered a border area in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, witnesses told Ma'an. Locals said that Israeli military forces escorted eight bulldozers as they leveled Palestinian land east of Khan Younis in Khuzaah. Israeli forces fired smoke bombs during the operation, witnesses added. An Israeli army spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Israeli forces frequently shoot at farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip if they approach large swathes of land near the border that the Israeli military has deemed off-limits to Palestinians. more