An armed Arab infiltrator was caught red-handed Sunday by the security coordinator of Shokeda religious moshav in southern Israel.
The suspect, who was carrying a knife and a hand drill, is believed to have sneaked in through the border in the Nachal Oz area. It is not yet known how he managed to get through the security fence and past the IDF lookouts.
He then walked over to Shokeda in the Sdot Negev Regional Council district, about seven kilometers (4.3 miles) from the Gaza border.
The suspect was turned over to security forces for further questioning.
The area’s kibbutzim and moshavim are usually filled to capacity with holiday tourists at this time of year. This year, however, they are still seeing vacancies, said Amit Lavkov, tourism association CEO.
“People want to make sure it’s really calm and the cease-fire has lasted,” Lavkov said. “There are fewer tourists than last year.