Israel Strikes Hamas Target in Gaza After Four Palestinians Breach Border Fence
The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas target in the Gaza Strip Saturday night in retaliation for an incident earlier that day in which four Palestinians illegally crossed the border into Israel.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the incident started around 5 P.M. when four Palestinians carrying bottles filled with flamable material approached the fence on foot and managed to cross the border into Israel near Kibbutz Kissufim.
The group then attempted to set fire to a military vehicle near Israeli construction work on the security barrier, the military said. When Israeli troops arrived, the Palestinians fled back into Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces’ Spokesman said that in response, the air force struck a military compound belonging to Hamas in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
"The IDF will continue to thwart all attempts to harm the State of Israel and will respond severely against those who wish to harm Israeli civilians," the IDF tweeted, adding that "Hamas is held responsible for all aggression coming from the Gaza Strip."
skip
– IDF
Yesterday, the security fence next to Israel & the Gaza Strip was damaged & there was an attempt to arson an engineering vehicle. In response, moments ago, the IAF targeted a terror objective in a military compound in Rafah, southern Gaza, belonging to Hamas,a terror organization
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) March 24, 2018
IDFIDF
Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter
Email*
Please enter a valid email address
Sign up
Please wait…
Thank you for signing up.
We’ve got more newsletters we think you’ll find interesting.
Click here
Oops. Something went wrong.
Please try again later.
Try again
Thank you,
The email address you have provided is already registered.
Close
The flare-up comes a week after the IDF struck Gaza in response to an explosion on Israel’s border with the Strip – the fourth such blast in a month. Earlier in March, two roadside bombs were detonated against Israeli soldiers patrolling near the Gaza border. The most serious blast took place in February, when a device exploded near Israeli troops at the border fence. Two Israeli soldiers were seriously wounded, one sustained moderate wounds and another was lightly wounded.
Last summer, Israel began construction on a massive security barrier meant to tackle the threat posed by tunnels that Hamas builds from Gaza into Israel. The project, estimated to cost 3 billion shekels ($833 million), will include a concrete wall fitted with sensors and reaching dozens of meters deep into the ground and standing six meters high from ground level.