Analysts: Hamas Trying to ‘Shoo’ IDF Heavy Equipment From Gaza Border

Yet another mortar shell was fired at IDF soldiers Wednesday – the third one in the day. The IDF said that Hamas was behind the increased tensions, and in a statement stressed that Israel would not allow the terror group to continue attacking Israelis.

Commentators on Channel Ten said that the new round of Hamas attacks were borne of Hamas’s desperation to prevent the IDF from further investigations in the underground terror tunnel network under the Gaza border.

“For weeks, dozens of tractors and other heavy equipment have been operating on the Gaza border,” said Channel Ten’s correspondent. “What has changed is that Hamas is apparently trying to send IDF the message, ‘You can operate in some areas, but not in others,’ and apparently the army is operating in an area that Hamas is trying to force soldiers away from.” Because of security-clearance issues, the correspondent said that he was not permitted to give more details, “but anyone with a head on their shoulders knows what we are talking about.”

On Wednesday morning, Gaza Arab terrorists lobbed a mortar shell at an IDF patrol that was operating next to the Gaza border fence. No Israeli injuries were reported. Soldiers fired back in the direction where the shell was fired from. A structure used as a lookout tower on the Israeli side of the border was damaged in the incident. Later in the afternoon, another shell was fired at Israeli forces, and the army responded by directing tank fire at Gaza terrorists.

On Tuesday, Gaza terrorists fired a shell at Israeli forces just a short time after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon visited IDF positions on the Gaza border, and declared that the IDF had effectively prevented an uptick in terrorism emanating from Gaza. On the tour, Netanyahu and Yaalon were shown the entrance of the terror tunnel the IDF had discovered last month. The tunnel had been neutralized by the IDF.