Gaza man arrested by IDF after trying to swim to Israel
Military says infiltrator, unarmed, taken for questioning; incident not suspected to be terror-related
A Palestinian man from the Gaza Strip was arrested Sunday evening after he tried to swim to Israel through the sea, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The man was detained by the navy some 200 meters from Israeli shores. Forces had seen him cross the maritime border, the IDF said.
The suspect was found to be unarmed and was taken for questioning, according to the statement.
The Walla news site quoted an unnamed security source saying the suspect was likely trying to enter the country illegally.
There is no suspicion that the incident is terror-related, the Ynet website reported.
The incident came after Gazan terror groups fired two rockets at Israel on Friday evening. The rockets fell in open areas, without causing casualties or damage. One rocket landed in an open area in the Sha’ar Hanegev region, while the second apparently fell within the Strip.
Rocket warning sirens sounded in communities near the Gaza Strip, sending thousands of residents to bomb shelters as they were celebrating the Shabbat evening meal.
IDF aircraft carried out retaliatory strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza, the army said.
A day earlier, Hamas, which rules Gaza, warned that Israel’s potential annexation of West Bank lands next week would be a “declaration of war.”
Besides the issue of annexation, there have also been tensions between Israel and Gaza-based terror groups over delays in the transfer of Qatari aid money to Gaza.
The Times of Israel Community.