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January 19, 2004

Deaf woman wounded in West Bank shooting

From: Independent Online, South Africa - Jan 19 2004

Nablus - A deaf and dumb Palestinian woman was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the northern West Bank on Monday after she failed to respond to soldiers' shouts, witnesses and security sources said.

Halima Rajeh Bari, 38, was injured when troops opened fire in her direction near the village of Saniria which lies to the east of Qalqilya, they said.

The woman, who was on her way to a greenhouse near the Jewish settlement of Shaari Tikva, was taken to an Israeli hospital.

An army spokesperson said the woman was breaking a curfew imposed on Saniria to prevent suicide bombers from infiltrating into Israel after a spate of warnings about planned Palestinian attacks.

The soldiers shouted at her to return home, then fired warning shots before firing in her direction, he said.

The woman, whom he described as lightly wounded, received first aid treatment from the troops before being evacuated to an Israeli hospital. - Sapa-AFP

© Independent Online 2004. All rights reserved.