Bedouin man climbs border fence from Israel into Gaza
IDF soldiers see him crossing into Palestinian territory near Khan Yunis, but arrive too late to stop him
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleIlan Ben Zion is an AFP reporter and a former news editor at The Times of Israel.
An Israeli Bedouin man was spotted by the IDF on Tuesday crossing the border fence into the Gaza Strip, the army said.
An IDF watchtower spotted the man attempting to climb the fence into the southern Gaza Strip.
A detachment of Israeli troops were dispatched to his location, but by then he had already reached the city of Khan Yunis, according to the IDF.
The army said it was investigating the incident and notified his family.
The man’s identity and age weren’t immediately available, but the army said he was from the Bedouin community.
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A spokesperson for MK Talal Abu-Arar, who represents Israel’s Bedouin community, said they were looking into the incident.
He was apparently undergoing emotional distress, Channel 10 reported, without citing a source.
Gaza-based Palestinian news outlets reported Israeli reconnaissance planes overflying the territory after the incident.
There was no immediate statement from Hamas, the de facto ruler of the Strip.
Hamas has held two Israeli men, a Bedouin Israeli named Hisham al-Sayed and an Ethiopian Jew named Avraham Abera Mengistu, who crossed separately into the Gaza Strip, for nearly two years.
The terror group also holds the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed in combat two years ago.
The Times of Israel Community.