An investigation into an incident on the Gaza border on Friday afternoon revealed that during a disturbance in the southern Gaza Strip, terrorists placed an explosive charge on the security fence. The detonation of the explosive device opened a hole in the fence, through which about 20 terrorists entered and were immediately detected by an IDF force which started shooting at them to chase them back. Most of the terrorists returned to deep in the Gaza Strip.
A number of terrorists approached an IDF post and the force fired at them. The terrorists were killed. According to Ma’an, 7 Arabs were killed.
Over the weekend, a number of border crossings were detected along the Gaza Strip. All of these suspicious incidents were monitored from the moment of the crossing, and the terrorists immediately returned to the Gaza Strip, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office reported Saturday.
In addition, one unarmed suspect was identified crossing the perimeter fence from the northern Gaza Strip. He was arrested near the crossing point and transferred for questioning by security forces.
Some 15,000 rioters were spotted on Friday afternoon along the Gaza perimeter fence. Some of them threw explosive charges and grenades at the fence and at IDF soldiers. They also threw stones and burning tires.
The forces responded with means of dispersing demonstrations and opened fire in keeping with the rules of engagement.
Speaking at the funeral of some of the dead terrorists, Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas politburo, stressed that the riots would continue until the Israeli siege on Gaza is broken. “The return marches are not for diesel and dollars, although it is a natural right for our people to live a decent life and to lift the unjust siege,” Haniyeh said.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman tweeted Saturday morning that “as long as the violence in the Gaza Strip does not stop completely, including the launching of incendiary balloons and the burning of tires in front of the Israeli communities, the supply of fuel and gas to the Gaza Strip will not be resumed.”