Gazan with grenade thwarted from infiltrating community
IDF says suspect apprehended inside Israel after crossing border from Gaza; investigation into incident underway
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A Palestinian man armed with a hand grenade broke through the Gaza fence and tried to infiltrate an Israeli community before he was stopped early Sunday morning, the military said.
The incident occurred in the Eshkol region, adjacent to the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the suspect was transferred to security forces for questioning, and that an investigation into the incident was underway.
The Eshkol region is a frequent target of rocket attacks launched from Gaza, and has seen several such attacks over the last 10 days as tensions between Israel and Palestinians have risen following the abduction of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, and the ensuing extensive Israeli search operations.
In response to rocket fire over the weekend, Israeli bombed several targets in Gaza overnight Sunday. No injuries were reported.
In October 2013, soldiers uncovered a massive subterranean passageway leading from Gaza into Israeli territory in the Eshkol council region.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon responded immediately with a halt on the transfer of construction materials into the Strip.
Similar tunnels have been used in the past by Gazan terrorists, most notably for an attack in 2006 in which two soldiers were killed and Gilad Shalit was kidnapped.
The Times of Israel Community.