AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday blocked Palestinian farmers and foreign solidarity activists from planting olive trees in Safa area to the north of Beit Ummar village, Al-Khalil district.

Local sources said that large numbers of IOF soldiers arrived to the scene, where the land is threatened with confiscation, and prevented the farmers and the foreign activists from planting more than a thousand olive trees.

The sources noted that Jewish settlers had burnt and uprooted many olive trees in the area almost a year ago.

The IOF command declared the area a closed military zone and expelled the farmers after firing at them gas and sonic bombs.

Meanwhile, IOF soldiers manning the Barta'a roadblock, south of Jenin, on Tuesday fired at and wounded a Palestinian citizen when he approached the barrier in his car.

Local sources said that Ahmed Amarne, 35, was driving his taxicab when the soldiers fired at him then took him away.

IOF troops also on Tuesday stormed the village of Nilin, west of Ramallah, and arrested two civilians, one of them is the coordinator of the popular committee against the separation wall.