Investigation into death of Palestinian farmer

A 45-year-old Palestinian was killed in unclear circumstances this morning, and the Palestinian Interior Ministry opened an investigation into the death.

Relatives and hospital officials said Mohammed Fara of the village of Abbasan was killed by Israeli tank fire when he was working in his marble factory some 600 metres from the Gaza-Israel border fence.

But the army said that no tanks or artillery have been fired in that area in the past 24 hours, and that the Palestinian security services have not filed a complaint with the liaison office, as is customary when a civilian is killed.

“The Palestinian Interior Ministry is investigating the cause of the death of the 45-year-old man who was evacuated this morning based on a claim from his family that he was wounded and killed by an Israeli tank shell,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Tawfik Abu Khoussa.