IDF Building ‘Defense Structure’ Along Gaza Border Road

The IDF is building a “natural defense structure” along Road 34, near the Gaza border fence, to prevent Gaza Arab terrorists from targeting it and the vehicles that use it. The structure, the IDF said, will prevent Gaza terrorists from being able to see the road, and thus they will be unable to target it.

Part of the structure includes a dirt and stone wall, which will extend for some 900 meters along the road. To allow work to progress, police have been closing the entrance to Kibbutz Erez for several hours at a time. The IDF said in a statement that the work “is part of the efforts of the Southern Command and the Gaza Division to increase security.”

Road 34 was heavily targeted during the recent rocket terror attacks by Hamas. On May 6, IDF soldier Moshe Feder, Hy”d, was killed when a rocket fired by terrorists hit his vehicle on Road 34. During that round of fighting, Gaza terrorists fired some 700 rockets at Israel. Of those, 240  were shot down by Iron Dome defense missiles, with the majority of the others falling in open areas. The IDF hit over 350 “high quality” targets in Gaza, the army said.

Overnight Sunday, security officials said they arrested 16 wanted security suspects in other areas in Yehudah and Shomron. The suspects were wanted for participating in rioting and throwing stones and firebombs that endangered Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. Several of the suspects were also charged with belonging to Hamas. All were being questioned on their activities by security forces.