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Tuesday, July 1, 2008Palestinians who approach Gaza fence will be shot, says IDFPalestinians who approach Gaza fence will be shot, says IDFBy Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent Last update - 07:53 01/07/2008www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/997897.htmlIsrael has informed Hamas it will fire "warning shots" at Palestinianswho enter an area west of the Gaza Strip border fence, extending for severalhundred meters.Egyptian officials told Hamas of the new procedure, which is expected toraise tensions between the two sides.Israel's representative in truce talks, Amos Gilad, told Egyptian mediatorsof the decision to declare the area west of the border a "special securityzone" and to prevent Palestinians from entering it. The Egyptians informedHamas, which objects to the plan.Several incidents have occurred near the fence since a cease-fire came intoeffect on June 19.Earlier this week the United Nations Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported eight cease-fire violations by Israel.Most of these violations apparently consisted of Israeli troops firing atpeople who approached the fence. OCHA's reports rely mainly on Palestinianaccounts.Israel is interested in maintaining the security zone for fear thatPalestinian terror groups will use the truce to plant explosives on thePalestinian side of the fence. This would prepare them if fighting resumes.In the past, explosives aimed at Israel Defense Forces vehicles on theIsraeli side have been planted in this area.Israel also fears that Hamas might build a line of fortifications along thefence as a basis for further attacks, as Hezbollah did in Lebanon betweenIsrael's pullout from South Lebanon in 2000 and the Second Lebanon War in2006.However, preventing people from approaching the fence will block Palestinianfarmers' access to their lands. Farmers have been unable to reach theirfields for years because of the fighting along the border. The IDF suspectsthat some of the farmers are sent by terror organizations to plant bombs orobserve Israeli troops.Throughout the second intifada Israel declared areas along the fence as"security zones." Soldiers were instructed to fire warning shots at peopleapproaching the fence, and for certain periods were allowed to shoot even atunarmed people. These instructions met resistance in the army, with seniorofficers saying civilians were being killed.The IDF believes that Hamas has recently been taking firmer action to curbother Palestinian factions' attacks against Israel. IDF sources told Haaretzthat Hamas' leadership in Gaza apparently wants to maintain the truce and istrying to enforce its authority on the smaller factions.At the beginning of the week Israel opened the border crossings that hadbeen closed last Thursday after Qassam rockets were fired at the WesternNegev