Israeli troops wounded a six-year-old Palestinian boy on Sunday when they opened fire east of Rafah, in southern Gaza, AFP quoted Palestinian medical sources as saying.

Israeli troops wounded a six-year-old Palestinian boy on Sunday when they opened fire east of Rafah, in southern Gaza, AFP quoted Palestinian medical sources as saying.

Emergency services spokesman Adham Abu Selmiya told AFP that a six-year-old Palestinian child was wounded by Israeli army gunfire near Karam Abu Salem crossing, east of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, which is where the family lives.

"He is in moderate condition and was shot with live fire in his thigh," he added.

The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the incident and said it was checking on the report.

According to AFP, “the shooting occurred near the Israeli border, where the military maintains an exclusion zone that extends several hundred meters inside the Gaza Strip, which it says is necessary to prevent infiltrations into the Jewish state.”

Troops regularly open fire on Palestinians who enter the area, including children working or playing in the zone.