“In recent weeks, we have had to withstand mass riots, including abduction attempts and efforts to infiltrate communities,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot said on Tuesday, speaking about events along the Israel-Gaza border.
Eizenkot was speaking at a farewell ceremony for retiring Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai.
Mordechai is being succeeded by Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rokon.
Over the past month, amid the weekly Friday demonstrations and riots by thousands of Palestinians near the Gaza border fence, the Israel Defense Forces has received intelligence information that Hamas terrorists intend to infiltrate Israel under cover of the violence, and that they are likely to attempt to abduct soldiers and raid communities near the border.
Earlier this week, within a two-hour period, Palestinian rioters from Gaza attempted to infiltrate Israel three times.
Israeli troops killed three Palestinian terrorists during the attempts and arrested others.