IDF troops come under fire near Gaza; army retaliates

Separately, soldiers arrest 6 Hamas operatives in the West Bank, seize a weapons cache containing explosives

Palestinian in northern Gaza fired across the border at Israeli soldiers overnight Monday, the army said, in the latest in a series of cross-border skirmishes.

In response, tanks fired at two Hamas posts in Gaza, the IDF said in a statement. Palestinian media sources reported the targets were buildings belonging to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing.

No injuries were reported on either side.

In a separate operation, IDF troops arrested six alleged Hamas operatives throughout the West Bank and seized a weapons cache containing explosives in the village of Surif, north of Hebron.

An explosives cache discovered by IDF during an overnight operation in the West Bank village of Surif, September 6, 2016. (IDF Spokesman)

The shots fired from Gaza are the latest in a series of minor clashes between Gaza based groups and the IDF. Two days ago a similar incident occurred at the same site.

Tensions along the border flared on August 22 after a rocket from the coastal territory landed in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, leading to an IDF retaliation against as many as 50 installations, which the army termed “key Hamas strategic assets,” using tanks and aircraft.

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