Monday, July 20, 2009

Israel shoots and detains Palestinian youth at Gaza border

Monday July 20, 2009 12:29 by Katherine Orwell - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group

Israeli forces at the Gaza border shot a Palestinian teenager in his foot and proceeded to detain him, on Sunday evening.

Israeli army detains a Palestinian man in the West Bank - Photo by Delayed Gratification
Israeli army detains a Palestinian man in the West Bank - Photo by Delayed Gratification

Gaza's Health Ministry told local media that the 15-year-old boy was taken to a hospital inside Israel.

Israeli sources reported that a military patrol discovered the boy approaching the electronic fence that surrounds Gaza. The patrol shot the boy when he refused to stop.

Others sources claim that the boy was wearing a thick jacket, which made the boy look suspicious in the eyes of the soldiers. The boy was searched and no explosives or weapons where found on him.

The boy reportedly admitted that he intended to "infiltrate" into Israel during his interrogation. But he kept insisting that he had no plans to carry out any attacks against Israel.

It remains unknown how trustworthy this testimony is, since it is widely documented by human rights organizations that Israel employs dubious interrogation techniques that can be qualified as torture. Palestinian children have not been exempted from such treatment.

Palestinian teen shot, detained near Israel border
Published yesterday (updated) 20/07/2009 11:59

Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a Palestinian teenager after shooting him in the foot near the Israel border on Sunday evening, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The 15-year-old boy was taken to Barzalai Hospital inside Israel, according to Muawiyah Hassanein, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services at the ministry.

Israeli sources reported that an Israeli military patrol spotted the boy approaching the electronic fence in the northern Gaza Strip, shooting him when he refused to stop.

Others said he was wearing a heavy jacket, uncharacteristic for the time of year. Nevertheless the boy was searched and found not to be carrying weapons or explosives.

The Israelis added that under interrogation he admitted intending to "infiltrate" into Israel, but insisted that he had no other plans to carry out attacks inside the country.

Israeli forces routinely patrol a "buffer zone" up to 500 meters wide along the Green Line, inside Palestinian territory. Palestinians who approach the border are often shot.

Meanwhile, Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces clashes near the Nahal Oz crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Fighters launched a rocket-propelled grenade at forces stationed there, according to Israeli news reports. No one was reported injured, and Ma'an received no claim of responsibility for the alleged attack.