Hundreds of Palestinians approached the fence and confronted Israeli troops that were deployed along the border, leading to major clashes throughout the day and to dozens of injuries.
The Israeli Air Force attacked several targets in northern Gaza on Saturday night, following mass riots along the Gaza border fence on that lead to an Israeli soldier being critically injured.
The soldier was reportedly shot in his head. He was evacuated by helicopter to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba for emergency surgery. The IDF is investigating the incident.
According to Israeli reports, he was part of the Border Police Mista’arvim special unit, which operates undercover by assimilating among Arab populations and carrying out intelligence gathering, law enforcement, hostage rescue and counter-terrorism operations.
“This is a very tough incident, the entire unit has suffered a blow,” a senior Border Police officer told Maariv.
Hundreds of Palestinians approached the fence and confronted Israeli troops that were deployed along the border, leading to major clashes throughout the day and to dozens of injuries.
Over 40 rioters were injured, including a 13-year-old who is in critical condition, according to Palestinian reports.
“During the riots hundreds of protesters approached the fence in the northern part of the Strip. The protesters attempted to climb the fence and confronted IDF soldiers. The troops were well prepared and utilized riot dispersal means, as well as Ruger fire and sniper fire when necessary,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.
Videos circulating online showed rioters burning tires and rolled them along the border.
One video shows several rioters trying to grab a weapon of a soldier through a slit in the fence. At one point one rioter carrying a pistol runs towards the opening and fires several bullets through it.
“The soldier fought back and managed to prevent [the rioters] from stealing his weapon,” the IDF later reported.
The riots, which lasted for about 3 hours, were part of a mass rally organized by Hamas to mark 52 years since the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attended by thousands of Palestinians marching near the border from the early afternoon.
The rally that quickly developed into violent clashes with the IDF, was carried out despite Israel’s recent approval of a deal that would allow the transfer of Qatari aid to the Gaza Strip via the United Nations.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz addressed the events along the border in an interview with Channel 13 and said that “these are very serious incidents and we will respond to them.”
(World Israel News).