RAMALLAH, Palestine

Seven Palestinians were injured on Monday by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, according to a Palestinian source.

Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinian workers trying to sneak through a barrier set up by Israel south of Tulkarem, the source said.

There was no comment from Israeli authorities on the report.

Israel has banned the crossing of Palestinian workers as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

In 2002, under then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel built a barrier on occupied Palestinian land with the ostensible aim of preventing Palestinian attacks inside Israel. Palestinians, for their part, refer to the barrier as the “apartheid wall”.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara