Israel started reinforcing its border fence with the Gaza Strip, erecting a galvanized steel barrier six meters high that will run the length of the territory.
By: Associated Press and United with Israel Staff
Israel’s Defense Ministry issued a statement Sunday saying it had commenced construction of an above-ground barrier that complements a subterranean wall aimed at thwarting Hamas terror tunnels beneath the border.
The fence’s construction comes after months of violent rioting by Palestinians in Gaza along the border. The riots, misleadingly titled “The March of Return” by Hamas, have largely been used as a cover for terror group operatives to launch attacks on Israeli soldiers and attempt to infiltrate the Jewish state to target civilians.
In addition to trying to breach the fence, Palestinian rioters have made widespread use of airborne arson attacks using kites, balloons, and even a falcon. The rioters tie incendiary devices to these objects and then fly them into Israeli territory, where they have started fires destroying thousands of acres of Israeli fields and nature preserves.
By Hamas’ own admission the majority of the rioters killed in the riots have been operatives of terror organizations, with Palestinian Islamic Jihad also exploiting the riots to raise their profile among terror supporters in Palestinian society.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the new barrier “will prevent terrorists from Gaza from penetrating into our territory on the ground.”
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