Israel Matzav

Surprise: Hamas sends canon fodder to border, claims Israel violates truce

I'm sure you'll all be shocked.... Hamas sent dozens of teenagers up to the border fence as canon fodder on Friday afternoon. IDF soldiers fired in the air and then fired at their feet when they did not back off. In a casualty count that seems to be increasing by the minute, Hamas is now claiming that two 'youths' were killed and 13 were wounded. I would not trust those casualty figures. Hamas says it is going to complain to Egypt about a 'cease fire violation.'

The IDF stated that a group of about 300 Palestinians approached the border fence in the southern Gaza Strip and held a violent disturbance along the border.

A number of the Palestinians attempted to break through the border fence into Israel. IDF soldiers initially fired shots into the air, but when warnings were not heeded, shots were directed at the suspects' legs, according to the IDF.

One armed Palestinian was apprehended in Israeli territory after having crossed the fence and was returned to Gaza by soldiers, the IDF stated.

A Hamas spokesman accused Israel of violating the Egyptian-mediated truce and said the group would complain to Cairo.

Medics said Anwar Qdeih, 23, was hit in the head by Israeli gunfire after he approached the security fence that runs along the Gaza frontier -- an area that Israel has long declared a no-go zone for Gazans.

A relative of the dead man, who was at the scene, told Reuters that Qdeih had been trying to place a Hamas flag on the fence. He added that an Israeli soldier had fired into the air three times before Qdeih was hit in the head by a bullet.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said: "We will contact the Egyptian mediator to discuss the incident."

The Jewish Press adds:

A large group of Gazans entered the Gaza-Israel buffer zone and approached too close to the security fence along the Gazan border, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Sources say that a group of Gazans approached the border, and managed to cut one of the wires or border markings near the security fence.

...

At this point, residents of the south may find themselves under missile fire again, as Hamas will use their provocateurs on the border as an excuse to shoot more missiles. Hamas has said they will complain to the Egyptians on what they claim is a breach of the cease fire.

Of course, since the cease fire, Hamas has shot between 12-20 rockets into Israel, not really needing an excuse to breach the cease fire.

But this is the first incident of Israel responding to a breach on the Gazan’s part.
Since Thursday, a number of Gazan rioters have been injured after they approached the security border with Israel.

The IDF has made is very clear to Gazan residents that they are not allowed to approach the fence, and if they do so, they risk being killed.

I hope that our tanks haven't gotten too far from the border yet. It sounds like they may yet be needed.

Labels: Gaza, Hamas, Operation Pillar of Defense

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:02 PM