At least 13,000 Palestinians rioted along the border between Israel and Gaza on Friday in the latest escalation in tensions in the region.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the Palestinian rioters were seen throwing rocks, firebombs and hand grenades at IDF soldiers, while also burning tires and trying to breach the border fence.
As a result of the riots, the IDF said that it had hit a Hamas post in the northern Gaza Strip.
“IDF troops monitored the suspects in each incident and all the suspects returned to the Gaza Strip soon after crossing,” the IDF said. “In response to the violent events along the security fence, an IDF aircraft targeted a Hamas military post.”
The fresh riots come as earlier this week Israel asked Qatar to suspend its monthly disbursement of $15 million to the Gaza Strip after a rocket was fired on Israel.
Qatar began making monthly money transfers to Gaza last year in an effort to alleviate the humanitarian situation there. A total of $90 million has been set aside for aid funds to Gaza.
At the same time, an Egyptian delegation of intelligence officials also visited Gaza on Thursday to meet with leader Ismail Haniyeh and other Hamas officials. The goal of the delegation was to supervise the border protests and prevent an escalation with Israel.
