Soldiers fire on two Gazans crossing into Israel, hitting one

Army says one of the Palestinians had a knife; wounded suspect taken to hospital for treatment

By Judah Ari Gross 22 November 2017, 8:45 am

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Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

File: The border fence along the Israel-Gaza border, August 10, 2014 (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

IDF soldiers opened fire at two Palestinians trying to cross into Israel from Gaza, hitting one of them, on Wednesday, the army said.

A military spokesperson said the soldiers later found that one of the suspects was in possession of a knife.

The attempted infiltration occurred along the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip.

The wounded Palestinian was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The other was taken into custody for questioning, the army said.

Palestinians from the Gaza Strip regularly try to cross into Israel. The military is concerned that they may be planning to carry out attacks, though most seem to be entering Israel in order to find work, as there is widespread unemployment in the coastal enclave.

In most cases, if the army does not deem them to be a security threat, the Palestinians are returned to the Gaza Strip.