88th worker shot in northern Gaza 'no go zone'

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A Gaza man was shot in the foot Friday morning, medics in the coastal enclave confirmed saying the wound was inflicted by Israeli sniper fire targeting a man collecting gravel particles in the northern border area.

The injured man was evacuated to the Kamal Udwan Hospital in Jabaliya and identified only as 20-year-old "AB." Medics said his injuries were moderate.

Spokesman for the regional ambulance and emergency service Adham Abu Selmieyah said the latest shooting brought to 88 the number of men and boys injured by Israeli fore in the unilaterally declared "no go zone" along the Gaza border, which extends between 300-1,000 meters and consumes some 20 percent of the arable lands in the Strip.

An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that soldiers had shot at what she described as a "group of individuals approaching the border fence" who did not retreat following the firing of shots into the air. Soldiers then shot at the lower bodies of the men, she said, and identified a hit.

Israeli military officials say the area is used by militants preparing to launch attacks against Israeli targets, and on Thursday shot and killed two men who statements said were carrying weapons. The bodies of the men were evacuated by Israeli military personnel from their location inside the Gaza Strip. A statements aid the two were part of a group of men approaching the Gaza border with the intent of infiltrating a nearby kibbutz.