Gaza City - Ma’an
Israeli troops killed a Palestinian and wounded two in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, hospital officials said. The victims were not immediately identified. An Israeli military spokeswoman said troops along the Israeli side of the border heard an explosion and responded with fire toward "areas suspected as points where terrorists operate." Earlier, Israeli naval ships opened fire on a Palestinian fishing boat off the Gaza coast, injuring a 45-year-old fisherman, medical official Adham Abu Salmiya said. The man was taken to Shifa hospital in Gaza City with moderate injuries to his legs. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the fishing boat "deviated from the designated fishing area and the navy called on it to stop, but when it did not respond they fired warning shots at the boat engine." In a separate incident the same day, artillery fire struck near the eastern cemetery in the Shjaiya neighborhood, onlookers said. There were no reports of injury or damage. Saturday's border firing was the first deadly incident in the Gaza Strip for over a week. On Dec. 8 an Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinian fighters in Gaza City who the Israeli military said had planned an attack on Israelis. Gaza militants struck back by firing rockets into Israel, causing no casualties.