Israeli army shoots, arrests Gazan near security fence

By Nour Abu Aisha and Hani al-Shaer

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Israeli army forces on Wednesday arrested a Palestinian near the border of the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli military.

In a statement, the army said the Palestinian had approached a security fence on Gaza border and allegedly hurled a grenade.

Israeli forces shot the Palestinian man and arrested him for questioning, the statement said.

More than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army gunfire in Palestinian protests near Gaza border since late March.

Protesters demand the right to return to their homes and villages in historical Palestine, from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

They also demand an end to Israel’s 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.