Gaza Terrorist Spent Two Hours in Israel, Investigation Shows

YERUSHALAYIM
palestinians gaza
Palestinian rioters burn tires during a protest on the Gaza-Israel border. (Abed Rahim Khatib/ Flash90)

Israeli forces over the weekend arrested a Gaza Arab who had infiltrated Israel by crossing the Gaza border fence. The Arab was not armed, and officials suspect he had come to Israel searching for work. The infiltration followed an incident last Wednesday in which three IDF soldiers were injured after a Hamas terrorist infiltrated Israel at the Gaza border fence.

Security officials said Friday that an analysis of the incident indicated that the terrorist had been in Israel for some two hours before he was spotted by soldiers. When they discovered him, soldiers on patrol ordered him to stop. Instead, the terrorist opened fire on soldiers, who returned fire, killing the terrorist. The IDF said he was wearing a Hamas military uniform and had several weapons, including the Kalachnikov weapon he used to shoot the soldiers, as well as knives and firebombs. The IDF believes that he was operating alone and not on the orders of Hamas, the statement said.

Some 6,000 Gaza Arabs rioted at the border fence Friday, throwing rocks and firebombs at IDF soldiers. In addition, several incendiary balloons were dispatched by Gaza terrorists over the weekend. One terror balloon that landed in Israel Friday started a brush fire near the Gaza border, which was quickly put out by firefighters.

On Shabbos, a balloon with a bomb attached was detected near Kibbutz Lahav, located 20 kilometers north of Be’er Sheva. Nir Zamir, head of the Bnei Shimon Regional Council, where Kibbutz Lahav is located, said that “unfortunately it appears that towns in our region are now in the line of fire from Gaza,” despite the distance from Gaza.

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