(Previous Incident Code: ISPT114)

A 63-year-old farmer, Hajj Hasan Sami Borno, was reported to have been killed either in Israeli artillery shelling or as a result of a gunshot wound to the chest in the village Juhr Al Dik, southeast of Gaza city, on May 19 2021.

Some sources reported that Borno was killed as a result of warplanes bombing the village. Israeli thinktank the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre reported that Borno was killed by “IDF fire”.

Sources note that he was farming his land when the reported shelling occurred. A statement published by the Workers’ Council said: “It is a sad day for the families of the farmer worker, and for the hardworking workers, on which we mourn with great pain a martyr for a living, may God have mercy on him and inspire his family patience and solace.”

Borno’s daughter, Nada H Borno, posted on Facebook after her father’s death: “With more pride and honour, I mourn my father, the sweetness of my eyes, my beloved, and the joy of my heart”. His niece, Heba Salah, posted an image of a crowded funeral on Facebook, stating: “You saw the place of the martyr, God suffices us and He is the best agent. The meeting is heaven, God willing, my beloved uncle and my second father”.

OCHA published a statement by the Food Security Cluster, responsible for coordinating humanitarian aid in the area, that said: “partners have reported an increasing fear among farmers who attempt to access their agricultural lands, particularly following the killing of a farmer by Israeli forces on 19 May”.

No other civilian harm incidents were reported relating to this event.