Farmers killed by tank fire From correspondents in Jerusalem 04feb03 TWO Palestinian farmers have been killed by Israeli tank fire in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian security officials said.
It is claimed the tanks fired shells and machine guns into an open area in the village of Abassan.
Two men, aged 60 and 29, were killed and four people were wounded, the Palestinian sources said.
The Israeli military said shots were fired about 60 metres from a restricted border fence.
The latest deaths came as an opinion poll showed Palestinians were increasingly feeling the economic pinch of their 28-month-old conflict with Israel.
It was conducted by the independent Palestinian Centre for Public Opinion and questioned 1100 West Bank residents.
The survey showed support for the uprising against Israeli occupation was holding relatively steady at 40.6 per cent, compared to 38.6 per cent three months ago.
But when asked how much longer they could tolerate the economic hardships of the conflict, only 18.4 per cent of respondents said they could hold out for another four months, compared with 64.2 per cent three months ago.
The survey had an error margin of 2.9 percentage points.
Israel has imposed stringent travel bans in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the past 28 months of fighting, to try to keep out Palestinian militants.
The closures and curfews have devastated the Palestinian economy.
"The results highlight the dramatic economic effects the uprising has had on Palestinian lives," said Palestinian pollster Toni Selsa.
