Gaza Toll Passes 1,400 as More Bodies Are Recovered From Rubble

Israeli Troops Shoot Gaza Farmer in First Apparent Post-War Killing

by Jason Ditz, January 20, 2009

Bodies continued to be pulled from the rubble that used to be the cities of the Gaza Strip today, and the death toll in Israel’s 22-day way has now passed 1,400. 5,500 others were also wounded. In addition, two children in Gaza City were killed when they found an unexploded shell from the conflict. .

In what appears to be the first deliberate post-war killing, Israeli forces opened fire on a Palestinian farmer in the Northern Gaza Strip, killing him. The farmer was reportedly returning to his farm near the border to assess the damage done to it during the war when the troops shot him.

Israel is reportedly allowing an increased, though still limited, number of humanitarian aid trucks to enter the stricken strip. Today around 150 trucks were allowed in, though Israeli Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog says he hopes the number will eventually be raised to 500. The Israeli military has blamed Hamas for the limited amount of aid being allowed in, accusing them of violating the ceasefire.

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