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Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian Boy Near Gaza Fence
Israeli soldiers shot dead a 12-year-old Palestinian boy and wounded two other youths Thursday near a fence dividing the Gaza Strip and Israel, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli army said troops fired at the legs of seven people inside the Gaza Strip carrying a ladder toward the fence, wounding two of them. Palestinian officials said the group was bird-hunting, a popular pastime among Gaza youths. "We have reason to believe terrorist groups occasionally send minors to the Gaza boundary fence to test our response, ahead of carrying out attacks," an army spokesman said.The two wounded youngsters were taken to a hospital in Israel. Palestinian medical officials said the body of Mohsen Ad-Daour, 12, was found later at the scene and that he had been shot in the face. The boyâs family said he had gone with a group of friends to hunt birds at a spot they had visited before. "But this time, he didnât come back with new birds," Mohsenâs uncle said. Inside the family home in Jabalya refugee camp, the boyâs mother fainted as his body was brought in for a final farewell. Dozens marched in a funeral procession to the local graveyard. Israel says the electronic fence it has built on the Gaza frontier prevents suicide bombers from reaching its territory, and it enforces "no-go" areas for Palestinians near the barrier. Palestinians say those who innocently stray into the no-go zones near the fence are shot at without warning. Posted by: LongLiveIsrael 2004-01-22 |
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