Israeli fire injures 2 workers in northern Gaza

Israeli fire injures 2 workers in northern Gaza

2010/10/22

Israeli forces fired live ammunition injuring two Gaza residents near the Strip's northern border on Thursday morning, medics reported. Medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmieh said the injured men were collecting rubble near Beit Lahiya, and were taken to Kamal Adwan hospital for treatment. Palestinian workers were collecting rubble and gravel in the area along the border fence to make cement. In a recent report, Defence for Children International said "Due to a severe lack of job opportunities and a shortage of construction material entering Gaza from Israel, hundreds of men and boys scavenge for building gravel amongst the destroyed buildings close to the border fence." DCI documented 12 incidents in which children were shot by Israeli forces in northern Gaza over the summer. The organization said reports indicated that soldiers also shot and killed the donkeys used by workers, as well as targeting the workers themselves. Israel places severe restriction on the import of gravel into the Strip. At the current rate that Israel is allowing cement aggregates into Gaza, it would take 75 years for the UN to implement its reconstruction plan for Gaza, the report said.