ISRAELI snipers shot dead the cousin of slaughtered Palestinian paramedic Razan al-Najjar yesterday as he allegedly approached Israel’s illegal border fence in Gaza.

Israeli authorities claimed that two people had tried to “infiltrate the border,” causing them to open fire and kill Ramzi Najjar. His companion managed to escape, making his way back into Gaza unharmed.

An Israel Foreign Ministry tweet claimed: “A short while ago, [army] troops thwarted an attempted infiltration from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory by two terrorists who damaged the security fence and were armed with an axe.”

It was accompanied by a photograph of an axe which appeared to be by the fence, however no further details or evidence was available.

The shooting happened just days after snipers killed his cousin, Palestinian paramedic Ms Najjar, as she was helping those who were injured taking part in the Great March of Return demonstrations.

Dalia al-Najjar, another of Ms Najjar’s cousins said: “Mourning for another family member, I’m losing my mind.”

The murder of Ms Najjar received global condemnation. The United Nations is set to investigate potential war crimes committed by Israel over the killings of unarmed Palestinian civilians taking part in peaceful demonstrations.

At least 123 people have been shot dead by Israeli snipers since the Great Return March protests began on March 30, with 2,771 injured.

In the bloodiest incident on May 14, more than 60 were killed at a demonstration marking the 70th anniversary of the Nakba — the date on which more than 700,000 Palestinians were driven from their land to create the state of Israel.