Israeli troops have shot and injured two Palestinian men, who were reportedly collecting construction materials in the north parts of the Gaza Strip.

The forces opened fire on the victims in east of Gaza City on Saturday, inflicting ‘serious’ injuries on both victims, AFP reported.

An Israeli spokeswoman confirmed that “the soldiers have opened fire against the two Palestinians” near the barrier separating the coastal sliver from Israel.

Several Palestinians, many of them teenagers, have been similarly shot over the past few years.

"Palestinians have been totally or partially prevented from accessing land located up to 1,000-1,500 meters [from the border],” read a report by the United Nations.

Tel Aviv has been keeping the enclave under an all-out land, aerial and naval blockade since mid-June 2007, depriving the 1.5-million Palestinians there of food, fuel and other necessities.

"About 80 percent of the Gaza population depends on assistance from UN agencies as unemployment has soared [to] above 40 percent," the world body’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said.

Adie Mormech from the Palestinian-led organization International Solidarity Movement told Press TV in October that the collectors "are actually the biggest victims of shootings in the buffer zones. The reasons why no one can go there is because Israel shoots on sight and they are trigger-happy."

(Press TV)