Israeli soldiers killed his disabled brother in Gaza. Now they killed him too

A Palestinian man was killed at Gaza's border with Israel after reportedly attempting to storm the crossing armed with a rifle and grenades.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

01 August, 2019

Hani Abu Salah is believed to have acted alone in the attack [AFP]

Israeli security forces shot dead an armed Palestinian man early on Thursday after he reportedly attempted to cross into Israel from Gaza, according to Israel's army.

Hani Abu Salah, a member of the Hamas Islamist group, exchanged fire with the soldiers, wounding three before he was shot and killed.

An Israeli tank targeted a Hamas military post after the incident which began at around 2:00 am, Israel's military said.

It said an army officer was moderately wounded and two soldiers were lightly injured by gunfire from the Palestinian, who entered Israel from the border fence in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel's military believes he was a member of the Islamist movement Hamas but had acted alone, said army spokesman Jonathan Conricus.

He was armed with a Kalashnikov rifle and grenades, according to Conricus.

He threw at least one grenade and was killed by Israeli soldiers who were scrambled to the area in response, Conricus said.

"Our current assumption is - and this doesn't look likely to change - is that he did not act, he was not sent, on an attack mission, but rather that he did this attempted attack on his own," the spokesman told journalists.

Abu Salah's death comes just over a year after that of his Brother, Fadi, a disabled Palestinian activist who was killed by Israeli snipers at a border protest last May.


	Fadi Abu Salah [centre] was killed by Israeli snipers at a protest in May 2018 [Anadolu]

Hamas, which rules Gaza, did not give an immediate comment but a security source in the strip also said the gunman was a member of the movement.

There has been tension along the Gaza border since regular protests and clashes erupted there in March 2018.

At least 297 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza or the border area by Israeli forces, the majority during demonstrations and clashes.

Seven Israelis have also been killed.

The protests have declined in intensity recently after a truce brokered by UN officials and Egypt. Under the truce, Israel agreed to take steps to ease aspects of its blockade on Gaza.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

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