An Israeli military spokeswoman said around 200 Palestinians massed at the border fence in northern Gaza, throwing rocks and rolling burning tires toward troops stationed on the other side.
Six Palestinians who were part of a large group of rioters that approached the Gaza border with Israel were shot and killed by IDF soldiers on Friday, Palestinian medical sources said.
Some 200 Palestinians approached the Gaza – Israeli border fence from the Strip, burning tires and throwing rocks. They ignored calls by soldiers to stop, entering a 100-meter perimeter area that is a closed military zone, and getting to within 50 meters of the fence, an army spokeswoman said.
Soldiers first fired in the air to stop their advance. The rioters did not stop, however, and the IDF then fired at the legs of rioters, striking five of them, she added.
The demonstration was called in solidarity with Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem and followed a spate of attacks by Palestinians against Israelis and reprisals by Jews against Arabs.
An IDF spokeswoman said around 200 Palestinians massed at the border fence in northern Gaza, throwing rocks and rolling burning tires toward troops stationed on the other side.
The soldiers “fired at the main instigators in order to halt their advance and disperse the riot,” she said, adding that she knew of five Palestinians who were shot.
Hospital officials put the death toll at six, with at least 14 others wounded. Witnesses said they had been fired at by Israeli snipers in guard posts along the border fence, about 400 meters away from where the Palestinians were protesting.
There is an Israel-imposed security zone that runs about 300 meters from the border into Gaza. Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups have lookout towers and guard posts in place just back from the buffer zone.
Further south, Palestinian rioters attempted to burst through the fence at Erez Crossing. Soldiers fired in the air, dispersing the crowd.
Last week, the IDF appointed a new OC Southern Command, who warned that Israel faces “many” security challenges on its southern borders.
Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir replaced Maj.-Gen. Sami Turgerman during a ceremony at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Turgerman has served in his role for the past two-and-a-half years, and was a key figure in Israel’s 50-day conflict with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza in the summer of 2014.
Maj.-Gen. Zamir said during the ceremony that the “challenges as I understand them from the past, and which I studied recently, are many on all fronts – the Gaza Strip, Sinai, and the Arava. The reality is dynamic and explosive, as recent days prove, particularly in east Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria.”
Also last week, the Defense Ministry announced the completion of a project to surround 12 southern communities near the Gazan border with sensor-based electronic security fences.
The announcement comes as Hamas continues to build tunnels in Gaza for the purpose of targeting the South with cross-border raids in any future conflict.
The Ministry’s Acquisitions Administration said the project cost 30 million shekels, and included the construction of tens of kilometers of electronic fences, advanced technological security sites, and maintenance of the fences for the next three years.
The villages and kibbutz communities of Sufa, Holot, Nir Itzhak, Nirim, Nir Oz, Ein Hashlosha, Kissufim, Alumim, Sa’ad Kfar Aza,
Miflasim, and Nir Am all received new protective fences.
Work to build fences around Carmia and Yad Mordechai will be complete in the coming months, the Defense Ministry said.
“The smart fence will form a physical obstacle in case of an attempted infiltration into a community, and will send a warning to a regional council control room, and to the IDF, every time the fence detects contact,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Last Monday, the Israel Air Force struck a Hamas target in northern Gaza in retaliation for a Gazan rocket attack onsouthern Israel hours earlier.
Palestinian terrorists fired two rockets at Israel on Sunday night; one exploded in an open area in Eshkol, causing no injuries or damage, and the second failed to cross into Israel, though it triggered warning sirens.
There were no injuries or damage.
good job..go Tsahal..go!!!!!shalom everyone
The MSM is pathetic. On last nights news – 4 Jews dead and 10 Palestinians dead and neither side is budging. Excuse me? HOW did the 4 Israeli Jews die? Is self defense STILL not a Jewish right? What did the Palestinians do to cause their own deaths??
These so called journalists report this with a straight face. I can’t believe they actually looked up ALL the facts. I think in many cases their network just gives them a sheet to read.
How dare you equate us as the same as the knife yielding, pig eating, woman bashing, sharia law scum!
We should do the same. Ya you gentiles obviously have alot of ‘kill the Jew, blame the Jew, turn a blind eye to the Jew mentality.’ The only difference between muzzie gentiles and the rest of the gentiles is your method on getting rid of the Jews. Other than that – you are the same!!
Pssst – Hey Hashem – how about a few avalanches, a couple of floods, a tornado or two another sunami to get rid of some of these scum? Just askin…..
When the IDF shoots to kill masses of rioters, the riots will stop!
Isnt it expensive to send planes to bomb empty fields? this ridiculous charade beats out the one where BB withholds taxes, abbas then announces a threat to go to UN, BB gives him the taxes, abbas doesnt go to UN and both sides declare victory… LOL, Israelis are suckers for the con.
Israel should issue a declaration that in future no warning shots will be fired, anyone crossing the line will be shot dead without warning. the warning wastes time and endangers soldiers lives.
this demonstrates the whole wrong MO of Israel and the IDF. Israel should be making unnannounced cross border raids into gaza to destroy tunnels. Israel should notify the UN and Euros that unless they dismantle all their tunnels the blockade will be strengthened and no materials allowed in. It is the gazans who should be fearing attacks and huddled up in fear, not Israeli towns building 30$ million fences. Tell the euros to get their pets to tow the line or shut up about what is done to them. Their should be more cross border raids into gaza than into the PA.
Israel treats them like a sovereign state but notice that gaza does not want to declare a state.
Felix Quigley Said:
Sorry, it is BB’s job to defend Israel against worlds anti semites and a PM who cannot even utter the words that “Jewish settlement is legal and legitimate” in YS is facilitating the anti semitism based on those lies. A BB who jumps on a lych mob bandwagon to blame settlers for the arab arsonists at Duma is facilitating the anti semitism that caused revenge burning of Jews and the current riots and murders of Jews. A BB who used the opportunity of Duma to incarcerate and defame Jewish settlers is part of the libel that fuels world anti semitism
Israel needs someone who can at least utter words of defense and truth for Israel, he does none of these things. In fact, he got rid of those capable of uttering the words of defense against the libels… feiglin, benett and liberman.
As usual, your post is devoid of facts and replete with BS.
@ Felix Quigley:
Good points Felix. Continuously airing our “dirty laundry” as we do shows the enemy how easy it is to “divide” us, with a view to “conquering” us.
This defense through attack…one…confirms my position…before you attack Netanyahu you must first defend him against world Antisemites …two…that Israel is fighting Islam. Simple concepts but key ones!