An Israel Defense Forces drone struck Hamas terror outposts in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening for the third time this week, as riots along the border with the Palestinian enclave continue to escalate.
“A short time ago, the IDF attacked a military position of the Hamas terrorist organization using a UAV. The position is in the Rafah hot spot where violent disturbances are taking place, near the border fence in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF confirmed on X (formerly Twitter).
Some 30 minutes later, the IDF attacked two additional positions in the Strip using a combat helicopter and a tank, the military said.
Earlier on Tuesday, multiple rioters from Gaza managed to breach the border fence and set fire to a nearby IDF position. They returned to the Gaza Strip unharmed, Israel’s Walla news site cited security forces as saying.
Terrorists also continued to launch incendiary balloons across the border, sparking fires near Kfar Aza in southern Israel, local media reported.
🔻 A violent riot broke out at the Gaza security fence a short while ago. A suspect hurled a Molotov cocktail at an IDF military post, which set the post alight.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 26, 2023
In response, an IDF UAV struck a military post belonging to Hamas located near where the riot occurred.
Terror groups call for intifada
Tensions with the Gaza Strip have exploded over the past two weeks amid a renewal of violent demonstrations along the border, and as the heads of Palestinian terrorist groups called for a new intifada against the Jewish state.
Hundreds of Palestinians have participated in the riots, hurling bombs and grenades at the security barrier, prompting Israeli forces to respond with riot dispersal methods and in some cases live fire.
The IDF also attacked Hamas posts in Gaza on Friday, Saturday and Monday in response to the riots and the renewed launch of incendiary balloons.
On Monday, a terrorist opened fire on troops stationed along the frontier. An IDF soldier returned fire and identified a hit, according to the military.
Earlier in the day, troops arrested two suspects attempting to infiltrate into Israeli territory before transferring them for questioning.
Jerusalem has decided to keep the Erez border crossing closed until Hamas ends the violence, thereby preventing tens of thousands of Gazans with work permits from entering Israel.
