GAZA - Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian farmer while working in his country in the Gaza Strip. The 59-year-old farmer was shot from behind while working on his own land near the border fence.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the victim approached a forbidden zone and escaped after being hit.
The incident took place on Saturday near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The victim was seriously injured and died within hours of the shooting.
However, the IDF turned the story by stating that Israeli forces identified the victims as "suspects" approaching a restricted area near the border in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, when a warning shot into the air was fired, the man ignored him. "Israeli troops then opened fire on him," said the IDF through a spokesman as quoted by Reuters on Sunday (4/3/2018).
"'Suspect' escaped from the area after that," continued the IDF.
The incident comes just a week after IDF troops attacked a Palestinian fishing boat accused of violating the boundaries of the established fishing zone. The attack killed a Palestinian fisherman and two others were arrested for interrogation.
Israel in recent weeks tightened security at the border with a crackdown after last month four IDF soldiers were wounded in an explosion at the border. The soldiers were hit by an explosion of an IED (homemade bomb) placed on a fence border and disguised as a flag.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have soared since US President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordered the transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The move effectively violates UN resolutions on the status of Jerusalem and sparked outrage among the international community, especially from Muslim and Arab countries.
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