Errant gunfire from Sinai hits Israel; no injuries reported
Army says spillover fire not directed at Jewish state; tensions between Hamas, Islamic State rising after last week’s suicide bombing
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJudah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
Gunfire from the Sinai Peninsula struck Israel on Sunday night, in what the military said was accidental spillover from fighting across the border.
A military spokesperson would not say where specifically the errant fire occurred, however, Palestinian media reported it was in the area of the Kerem Shalom Crossing, which sits near the borders of Israel, Gaza and Egypt.
There were no reports of Israelis injured or of damage caused by the gunfire in Israel.
The northeastern Sinai has seen increased tension between Hamas and local Islamic State affiliates since Thursday, after a suspected IS member killed a Hamas guard, along with himself, in a suicide bombing in southern Gaza, near the Egyptian border.
The suicide attack occurred as forces tried to stop the man from infiltrating into Egypt, members of the Hamas terror organization said.
The bombing early Thursday morning is believed to be the first time that a Palestinian has set off a suicide bomb against Hamas forces.
Egyptian forces have been fighting an bloody insurgency by salafists linked to the Islamic State in the northern Sinai for several years, with near-daily bombings and shootings.
The Times of Israel Community.