UN Sources: “7 out of 8 truce violations were carried by Israel”

Friday June 27, 2008 23:52 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

Sources at the United Nations stated on Friday that after one week of truce in Gaza eight violations were reported, seven of these violations were carried by the Israeli army and the eighth was carried by the Palestinians.

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The sources added that despite these violations, the truce appears to be holding and that the Hamas movement, which dominates Gaza, said it is committed to the truce.

The reported violations do not include one homemade shell fired by resistance factions at the Israeli Negev town of Sdeort, and two mortars fired by the resistance in response to the Israeli violations.

The UN sources said that most of the violations were carried by Israel and that these violations originated from an incident when the army opened fire at Palestinian farmers attempting to reach their lands close to the border fence.

The sources added that on June 20 at 10:05, Israeli soldiers opened fire at farmers for ten minutes in an attempt to push them away from their lands; no injuries were reported. On the same day, at 19:20, soldiers carried a similar violation by firing at farmers attempting to reach their lands. The shooting lasted for five minutes, no injuries were reported.

Moreover, soldiers opened fire at Palestinian fishermen near Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

During the early morning hours of June 21, soldiers opened fire at the same area causing no damages or injuries.

On the same day, soldiers fired at farmers in an area in Al Maghazi refugee camp, south of Gaza city; no injuries were reported.

During the morning hours of June 23, soldiers opened fire at Palestinian loggers near Beit Lahia, and seriously wounded a 68-year old man who identified as Jamil Al Ghoul.

The only Palestinian violation was carried out on June 24 when fighters of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, fired two homemade shells at 15:40 and 16:10. The shells were fired from Beit Hanoun and targeted the Israeli Negev town of Sderot.

The Brigades fired the shells in retaliation to the assassination of one of the leaders of Brigades in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

During the morning hours of June 26, Israeli soldiers fired at several farmers in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. One elderly man, 82, was seriously wounded.

Although two elderly famers were wounded in two incidents, the army claimed that soldiers opened fire in an attempt to push suspects away from the border fence. UN sources said that the army will not allow anybody to get close to the fence.

gaza strip | truce | news report saed at imemc dot org