After confrontations on the border with the Gaza Strip, Israel’s army attacked a military post of the Islamist Hamas. The post was hit by an airstrike during a violent uprising at the security fence, the Israeli military said on Friday evening. Palestinians had previously thrown several explosive devices and grenades at Israeli soldiers. They responded with “means to suppress riots”.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, twelve Palestinians were injured by live ammunition, rubber bullets or tear gas. Among the injured was a Palestinian photo-journalist who was hit in the hand by a tear gas canister.
Several hundred Palestinians had gathered at the border following calls from militant factions, including Hamas, which rules the coastal strip. According to Palestinian information, they wanted to express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. The incident occurred at the start of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, when Israel’s security officials were on heightened alert.
Recently there have been frequent confrontations at the Gaza border. On Wednesday, six Palestinians were killed during a rally at the border. According to the Israeli military, an attempt to throw an explosive device at Israeli soldiers exploded inside the Gaza Strip. Only a “mysterious explosion” was reported in the Gaza Strip.
More than two million people live in very poor conditions in the Gaza Strip. Hamas seized power by force in 2007. Israel then tightened a blockade of the coastal area, which Egypt supported.
