HR Workers To Accompany Palestinian Farmers

Human Rights Workers To Accompany Palestinian Farmers

8am, Tuesday 31st of March 2009: Eight international Human Rights Workers (HRWs) in the Gaza Strip will be accompanying 25 Palestinian women farmers from the village of Al Amannat to their lands.

Al Amannat village is located east of Khan Younis, south of the village of Khoza’a. The farmers’ fields are located around 500 meters from the Green Line, the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian farmers have been repeatedly fired upon by Israeli forces for working their lands within 1km of the Green Line.

On the 18th February 2009 international HRWs witnessed the shooting of 20 year old Mohammad Ibrahim by Israeli forces. Mohammad was shot in the leg as he was loading parsley onto a truck approximately 550m from the Green Line.

The farmers and internationals had been working for two hours in full view of the Israeli forces and were leaving the area at the time of shooting.

(See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSECq3kxT4I)

Mohammed al-Buraim is the fourth Palestinian farmer to be shot by Israeli forces in the buffer zone in the last two months. Two of the four farmers shot died from their wounds. On the 18th January 2009, 24 year old Maher Abu Rajileh from the village of Khoza’a was killed by Israeli forces while working his agricultural lands 400m from the Green Line.

On the 27th January, Anwar al Buraim was shot in the neck by Israeli forces. On 20 January, Israeli soldiers shot Waleed al-Astal (42) of Al Qarara (near Khan Younis) in his right foot.

ENDS

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