Palestinians fire shell at IDF soldiers on Gaza border
None hurt in attack; army retaliates with tank fire against nearby Hamas observation post
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IDF soldiers operating along the border with the southern Gaza Strip came under mortar fire Wednesday morning, the army said.
No one was hurt when the mortar shell landed near the troops.
An IDF tank returned fire toward a “suspicious position” nearby, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.
According to the Ynet news site, the IDF fire hit an observation post manned by the military wing of Hamas. No one was hurt in the IDF retaliatory strike, but the post was damaged.
The attack marks the second incident of fire from Gaza toward Israel in 24 hours, after soldiers came under fire on the Strip’s northern border Tuesday.
The earlier attack saw shots fired from across the border, striking an IDF vehicle operating nearby.
No injuries were reported, but heavy army engineering machinery was damaged by the volley, the army said.
Tuesday’s attack came hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured a southern section of the Gaza border.
Palestinian media in Gaza reported intense gunfire by Israeli forces near Nahal Oz immediately after the attack from Gaza.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either Tuesday’s or Wednesday’s attacks. Tensions along the border have increased in recent weeks, with Israeli officials warning of a possible uptick in violence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday toured Israel’s southern border with Gaza, where he told troops that the past two years, since the summer 2014 war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, have been the quietest in many years.
The Times of Israel Community.