6 Gazans wounded by Israeli border gunfire

Israeli troops opened fire Friday on Palestinian stone-throwers near the border fence in northern Gaza, the army said, with Palestinian medics saying six men were wounded. Clashes are common on Fridays, with regular protests near the border in support of Gaza farmers who say troops uprooted their trees to create a buffer zone. Emergency services chief Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP one of the men shot and wounded by Israeli troops in the latest incident was in critical condition. An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed the shooting but did not say if anyone was injured. "Hundreds of Palestinians were throwing stones to try to damage the security fence between Gaza and Israel," said the spokeswoman. "Our soldiers tried to keep the crowd at bay by using anti-riot methods and by firing live bullets towards the legs of the main instigators," she added. Source: AFP