GAZA
(Reuters) - Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian in the Gaza Strip
near the border with Israel on Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry
said, the first such fatality since a 50-day war ended in August.
The Israeli military said it fired at two Palestinians who
approached Israel's security fence with the Hamas Islamist-dominated
enclave, hitting one of them, after they ignored shouts to halt and
warning shots.The Health Ministry said Fadel Mohammed Halawa, 32, was killed in the incident, east of Jabalya refugee camp.
One of Halawa's relatives said he had been searching for song birds, which nest in trees near the Israeli border and command high prices in Gaza markets.
Israel has long designated areas along its frontier with the Gaza Strip as "no-go" zones for Palestinians, citing concerns that militants could plant bombs or carry out surveillance of Israeli patrols.
More than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed during the Gaza war, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israeli puts its death toll at 67 soldiers and six civilians, killed by rockets and attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.