More than 10,000 Palestinian rioters have gathered at five locations along the Israeli-Gaza border on Friday in the latest round of clashes.
The Israel Defense Forces said rioters were burning tires and throwing grenades, pipe bombs and rocks at soldiers along the border. They also launched a burning kite with an explosive device attached that detonated in the air.
“These kites are an example of how far Hamas is willing to go in order to inflict damage on Israel. If we roll back history and think about suicide bombers in the 1990s and 2000s, about rockets and terror tunnels, these are all weapons that Hamas uses to terrorize and kill Israeli civilians,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told The Israel Project.
The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Unit said, “IDF troops are reinforced along the Gaza Strip security fence in order to protect security infrastructure and defend Israeli civilians in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip from the attempted terror attacks led by the Hamas terror organization.”
Earlier, anticipating another day of riots sponsored by the Hamas terror organization—this time to mark the annual “Naksa Day”—the Israel Defense Forces began bolstering its security presence.
Hundreds of Israeli snipers took up positions on Thursday along the Gaza security fence to provide backup for security personnel already in place from the Golani Brigade and Armored Corps.
Palestinian violence has become commonplace on the security fence, particularly after Friday-morning prayers. But “Al Naksa Day”—the day chosen to decry Israel’s victory and territorial acquisitions during the 1967 Six-Day War—is expected to bring additional acts of terror.
Additional Iron Dome missile-defense systems were put in place to intercept rocket and mortar shell fire from Gaza, with the IDF preparing drones to intercept incendiary “terror kites” that Palestinians have been flying over the border to destroy agricultural and protected lands.
On Thursday, the IDF dropped leaflets from the sky across Gaza, urging residents in Arabic not to participate in the mass riots. The leaflet instructed Gazans to stay away from the border fence and to forego participating in any terror activities against Israeli civilians or security officers.
“A wise person is a person who takes into account the consequences of his actions and decides in favor of the act in which the benefits surpass the damages it causes,” the leaflets said.
Hamas has urged Gazans to ignore the IDF warnings and join the rioting. Video propaganda on the Hamas-controlled Al-Aqsa TV station told residents to join the “March of Return” and destroy the blockade.