GAZA CITY: Two Palestinians were shot and wounded by Israeli forces in separate incidents in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Thursday, local medics said.

Muawiya Hassanein, the head of Gaza emergency services, said a day laborer was in very critical condition after being shot in the back near the Sufa border crossing with Israel in the southern part of the territory.

In a separate incident, Hassanein said a fisherman was wounded by fire from Israeli gunboats off Gaza s northern coast.

The Israeli navy frequently fires warning shots to keep fishermen within a narrow zone extending five kilometers from the shore.

The Israeli military would not immediately comment on either incident.

Gaza has been mostly quiet since a massive 22-day Israeli offensive launched on the territory at the turn of last year, but there are still occasional exchanges of fire along its heavily guarded border. -AFP