Two Palestinians were injured on Monday during violent rioting at the Israel-Gaza border, Israeli media reported, citing Palestinian sources.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry said that the two Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire while troops were dispersing the riot in eastern Gaza. According to the Israel Defense Forces, rioters burned tires and detonated explosive devices at the security fence, with troops responding with crowd dispersal means and live fire in some cases.
The Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza remained closed to Palestinian workers on Tuesday morning in response to the continued violent rioting at the border.
It marked the second consecutive morning that the sole pedestrian crossing between Israel and the Palestinian coastal enclave was temporarily shuttered, affecting some 17,000 Gazans with work permits to enter Israel.
This decision was made by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) after a security assessment was held and instructions were given by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Another assessment of the security situation will be held on Tuesday and a decision made on whether to reopen the crossing, according to the reports.
Demonstrations have taken place regularly along the border since reports emerged late last month that Hamas had decided to restart the “Great March of Return,” which lasted from March 30, 2018, until Dec. 27, 2019.
Last Wednesday, six Gazans were killed when a homemade explosive device they had been attempting to place on the security fence detonated prematurely during one of the riots.
Hundreds of Palestinians participated in the unrest, hurling bombs and grenades at the security barrier.
“Ultimately, terrorism ends up harming everyone involved,” tweeted the IDF in response to the incident.
On Friday, the IDF conducted a drone strike against a Hamas observation post in Gaza in response to the renewed violence.
A day earlier, the deputy chiefs of Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Saleh al-Arouri and Jamil Mazhar, respectively, called for a full-blown intifada, or terror war.
“The Palestinian Authority must return to the intifada to achieve national unity and resolve the Palestinian question on national and democratic grounds,” Israeli media cited them as saying during a meeting in Beirut.
