Army said probing whether same shooter behind Gaza sniper attacks

The Israeli military is reportedly probing whether a pair of recent sniper attacks on soldiers along the Gaza border was carried out by the same gunman.

The first incident on July 20 killed Staff Sgt. Aviv Levi, making him the first Israeli fatality in an attack from the Strip since the 2014 Gaza war. Days later, a soldier was moderately wounded by sniper fire along the border.

Both soldiers were wearing protective ceramic vests when they were shot.

Quoting sources in the Israel Defense Forces Southern Command, a report Monday from the Walla news site said that while whoever was behind the attack likely did not get a “green light” from Hamas, the shooter or shooters probably did receive help from the terror group.

“It is unlikely that a sniper is operating from the Palestinian territory under the nose of Hamas without the support of additional professional sources,” the report quoted the sources as saying.

“There is an assumption he is receiving support and approval from the unit he works in,” to get the revenge on the IDF, the sources added.

The sources also noted the difficulty of effectively targeting a sniper in Gaza from beyond the border and said the sniper or snipers apparently used rioting along the security fence as a distraction to fire at the troops.

“We estimate the sniper exploited distractions to the soldiers in the field during the demonstrations,” the sources were quoted saying. “This isn’t coincidental.”

While the military is working to track down whoever carried out the sniper fire, the report said it also looking into how soldiers operate along the border fence and respond to rioting amid fears of another attack.

An officer in the IDF’s Gaza Division noted the difficulty of responding to clashes using non-lethal means without exposing soldiers to sniper fire or other threats or other threats.

“There is no 100 percent protection. If it is not a sniper it can be an anti-tank” missile, the officer told Walla.

Following Levi’s death, Israel unleashed an offensive it says destroyed more than 60 Hamas targets, including three battalion headquarters. Four Palestinians were killed, of which Hamas said three were its fighters.

Hamas later declared an unofficial ceasefire, though sporadic violence has continued along the border, including the second sniper attack

Since March 30, weekly clashes have taken place along the border as part of the violent “March of Return” protests. Israel has accused Hamas of using the clashes to attempt to breach the border fence and carry out attacks, and the terror group has acknowledged many of those killed were its members.

As part of the clashes, Palestinians have launched incendiary airborne devices into Israel from Gaza, sparking many fires in the south.

Over 7,000 acres of land have been burned, causing millions of shekels in damages, according to Israeli officials. The attacks have continued almost daily, although there has been a marked reduction in numbers since the weekend, when the Hamas terror group, which rules Gaza, said it agreed to a ceasefire.