A pipe bomb was thrown toward IDF soldiers early this morning near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, prompting the Israeli troops to respond with live fire in the direction of three Palestinians that were identified crawling along the border’s security fence. No injuries were reported among the Israeli forces, and it remains unclear whether the Palestinian suspects were hit. The incident comes just one day after the IDF identified and neutralized an explosive device that was located near the border’s security fence in the southern Gaza Strip, which according to the IDF spokesperson’s unit, was planted by a Palestinian terror cell, with the aim of targeting Israeli security forces.
A senior military official told TV7 that the two incidents, along with several violent events, indicate attempts by Hamas to exacerbate the friction with the IDF, as the internationally recognized terror group is wary of the deadlock in Egyptian-brokered negotiations for a long-lasting ceasefire. The official further stressed that the IDF will use all of the tools in its disposal, within the boundaries of the rules of engagement dictated by Jerusalem, to assure the security and sovereignty of the state of Israel. Furthermore, the Israeli military views the Islamist Hamas organization, which controls the Palestinian enclave, as solely responsible for any terror activities that emanate from the Gaza Strip.