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HEBRON (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian man was shot and injured by Israeli soldiers on Saturday in the Wadi al-Khalil area south of Hebron.

Red Crescent official Nasser Qabaja told Ma'an that Ismael Mashni, 23, was shot in both feet by Israeli forces.

He was subsequently taken in a private car to a medical center in al-Dhahiriya and later moved to Hebron Governmental Hospital.

Witnesses said that Mashni was shot from close range by the Israeli forces, but had no more details.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said that the man was seen "damaging the security fence" near the Israeli town of Meitar.

"Soldiers detected the man and opened fire towards his lower extremities," she added.

Hebron is a frequent site of clashes due to the presence of 500 Israeli settlers in the Old City, many of whom have illegally occupied Palestinian houses and forcibly removed the original inhabitants. They are protected by thousands of Israeli forces.

Settlers and Israeli forces regularly target local Palestinians for harassment, and many have been forced from their homes as a result.

More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in contravention of international law. The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East Jerusalem form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.
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