Gaza security gate left open for minutes

An entry gate in the Gaza security fence was left open by soldiers for several minutes over the weekend without supervision, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed to Army Radio on Monday.

“The gate was opened to allow IDF forces to enter the Gaza Strip area,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said, adding, “The gate remained open without supervision and was closed by forces shortly afterward.”

“This was a malfunction, and procedures have since been clarified and reinforced for the forces. The IDF will continue to do everything in its power to protect the residents of the western Negev,” the army said.

According to the Army Radio report, the gate near Kibbutz Kissufim was left open by soldiers on Saturday for “long minutes” as hikers passed through the area with no IDF troops present to secure the crossing.

Hamas-led terrorists murdered nine Israeli civilians and six foreign workers in Kissufim during the Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre, which saw thousands of gunmen storm western Negev communities and slaughter some 1,200 people, primarily civilians.

On Sunday, the IDF struck two Hamas terrorists who were planning to carry out a imminent sniper attack on troops in northern Gaza.

Terrorists in the Strip have prepared and carried out several attacks on Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip and civilians in nearby Israeli villages since a truce between Hamas and Israel went into effect in October.

Israel has struck about 60,000 targets in Gaza and destroyed roughly 25% of Hamas’s tunnel network, while maintaining control of about 53% of the territory under the ceasefire arrangements, according to Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies.

Israel killed thousands of terrorists during the Gaza operation, including top Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.