News
Israeli Air Force targets Gaza terror cell; Palestinians killed following stabbing attempt
This morning, Israel’s Air Force targeted a terror cell planting an explosive device aimed at Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border fence.
This follows a Haaretz report yesterday that Hamas has rebuilt its attack tunnel capability to a similar strength prior to Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014. Although most of the tunnels, designed to attack Israeli civilians and soldiers, were destroyed before the conflict ended, Haaretz says that, “Hamas is investing considerable effort and immense amounts of money in the tunnel project.”
In a separate incident in the West Bank yesterday, three Palestinians were killed. Two were shot after attempting to stab Israeli soldiers near Hebron, while a third died in clashes with Israeli troops near Bethlehem.
A Palestinian car stopped next to a patrol of Israeli soldiers near the West Bank city of Hebron. One man exited the car with a knife and threatened the soldiers, who opened fire on the attacker and the driver. An IDF statement said, “A Palestinian attacker, armed with a knife, attempted to stab a soldier securing the Beit Hanoun junction near Hebron… Responding to the imminent threat, forces at the scene fired towards the assailant, resulting in his death.”
At around the same time, a 21-year-old Palestinian man was shot and killed during clashes with Israeli troops in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem. Around 50 locals are reported to have hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks at soldiers, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition. Yesterday’s incidents come amid a wave of violence, which has seen at least 23 Israelis killed since October.
Meanwhile, the funeral was held last night of Nashat Milhem, who shot three people dead in Tel Aviv on 1 January. Milhem was buried in a small ceremony in his home town of Arara in northern Israel. The funeral was delayed while Israeli authorities sought assurances that it would not become a rallying point for protest or violence. Milhem was killed on Friday in a shoot-out with Israeli security forces, having evaded capture for a week.