Manhunt ends as Gazans who crossed into Israel caught

Residents of Eshkol Region had been told to stay indoors while IDF searched for the infiltrators

By ToI Staff 27 February 2016, 10:43 am 2

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An unmanned IDF ground vehicle near the southern part of the Gaza-Israel border fence (Zev Marmorstein/IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

Security forces located and arrested three unarmed Palestinians who illegally crossed the Gaza Strip border fence into Israeli territory Saturday.

Residents of the Eshkol Region were previously instructed to stay indoors, Channel 10 reported, while the IDF combed the area for the infiltrators.

The manhunt was launched after a possible breach was reported at the Gaza Strip security fence. The three Palestinians were taken into a nearby security facility for questioning.

They told investigators they were looking for food.

On Friday, the head of the Hamas terror group in the Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, declared that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are powerless to stop the ongoing surge in violence that he said was an “intifada,” or violent uprising.

Gaza has been the site of three wars between Israel and Hamas since 2008, but has remained relatively calm amid a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks began in October in the West Bank, Jerusalem and across Israel.

Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders have praised the perpetrators of terror attacks in recent months, and have increasingly urged Palestinians to carry out attacks against Israelis.