IDF tanks in action. (Ofer Zidon/Flash90) (Ofer Zidon/Flash90)
IDF tanks

Palestinians targeted IDF forces with an explosive device. The IDF hit back with tank fire.  

Palestinian terrorists placed an explosive charge on the security fence between Gaza and Israel, attempting to harm IDF forces securing Israel’s border.

IDF troops on Sunday detonated the explosive device, which had been placed adjacent to the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday. The explosive device went off during the clearing procedure, which was conducted by a sapper’s robot.

No IDF soldiers were injured in the incident.

In response, an IDF tank targeted a military observation post in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian sources reported that two Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed in the shelling and a third was wounded.

This incident comes just hours after Israel Air Force (IAF) fighter jets struck military targets in a Hamas compound in the southern Gaza Strip

The strike was conducted in response to a cross-border incident earlier on Saturday in which Palestinians infiltrated Israel and attempted to damage security infrastructure.

IDF troops identified four Palestinians who infiltrated Israel from the southern Gaza Strip and set a tire on fire. An IDF unit arrived at the scene and fired towards the suspects, who fled back into the Gaza Strip

The suspects stayed in Israeli territory for about a minute. During the infiltration, the suspects hurled a firebomb that burst into flames and placed a tent with the caption- “The March of the return. Returning to the lands of Palestine.”

IDF ‘Determined to Fulfill its Mission’

The IDF stated after the air strike that it was carried out also in response to the “continued attempts to sabotage security infrastructure during Hamas-led riots.”

“The IDF views these ongoing attempts with great severity, specifically Hamas’ daily attempts to damage security infrastructure and threats to the safety of Israelis,” the IDF stated, adding that it is “determined to fulfill its mission to protect and ensure the safety of Israeli civilians.”

“The Hamas terror organization is responsible for all threats originating from the Gaza Strip, and will bear the consequences of its actions against Israeli civilians & Israeli sovereignty,” the IDF added.

On Friday, some 5,000 Palestinians participated in the Hamas-led violent riots on the Gaza border, for the ninth consecutive week. The rioters hurled pipe bombs, rocks, and grenades, sabotaged security infrastructure and burned tires.

IDF forces responded with riot dispersal means and accurate live fire in accordance with standard operating procedures

During the violence, rioters hurled an explosive device at IDF troops in the northern Gaza Strip. No Israelis were injured.

These latest events occurred amid the daily violence on the Israel-Gaza border, orchestrated by Hamas, the Islamic terror group that rules the Strip and calls for Israel’s destruction.

The March of Return culminated on May 14 with a bloody day of violence, during which some 60 Palestinians, mostly terrorists by Hamas’ own admission, were killed.

Since then, the border has been the quietest since the riots began eight weeks ago, while the IDF remains on high alert in the area in anticipation of another possible flare-up.