Civilian doing maintenance work on Israel’s border fence sustains light wounds
A man was lightly wounded on Wednesday after shots fired along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military struck Hamas positions in response, wounding at least three Palestinians.
The Israeli military confirmed the shooting near the northern Strip, adding that it was looking into the incident.
According to initial assessments, it was a deliberate attack.
No other casualties were reported on the Israeli side apart from the man in light condition – an employee of a contractor doing maintenance work on Israel’s border fence.
Israeli tanks struck Hamas posts near Gaza City, Palestinian media and the Israeli military said. Palestinians reported that several farmers were wounded by the Israeli strikes, but their condition was not immediately clear. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed three casualties without confirming their state.
No one has taken responsibility on the initial shooting as yet.
Earlier this month, the Defense Ministry announced the completion of the border barrier, stretching the entire border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, after three and a half years of work.
The barrier is 65-kilometers long, and cost an estimated 3.5 billion shekels ($1.11 billion) to build. Its development was announced in 2016, two years after Hamas used underground tunnels to target Israeli troops during fighting between Israel and the militant group.
The Israel-Gaza border has remained relatively quiet since a cease-fire agreement ended an 11-day war in May.
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