BICOM

The fragile ceasefire in Gaza ended last night after Palestinian snipers fired on Israeli soldiers at the Gaza border.

Early yesterday evening a group of Palestinian children gathered at the border fence and threw stones at Israeli soldiers. When the soldiers left their fortified positions to deal with the disturbance they were fired on by snipers. IDF sources suggested that the Palestinian snipers were from one of the radical military groups in Gaza but held Hamas responsible for allowing them to take up positions on the border and fire at Israeli soldiers. A 21- year old Israeli officer from the Givati Brigati was injured and transported to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva for surgery. The incident occurred in Kissufim, close to where Staff Sgt. Aviv Levy was killed by a Hamas sniper on Friday.

Following the attack, the IDF bombed Hamas military positions, three Palestinians were killed and a fourth sustained critical injuries. Overnight, nine missiles and mortars were fired at Israel from Gaza.  One was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile defence system.  The rest landed on open areas close to the border.

Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said that Israel is “being dragged into a wider operation with Hamas”. He told Kan Radio News: “We are approaching with great strides— because of Hamas— a situation in which the IDF will have to embark on a wide-scale operation. He added: “It is clear that after four years of quiet since Operation Protective Edge residents are returning to an unacceptable situation; there are rocket sirens at night and children in shelters. If Hamas does not understand from [Israel’s] waves of attack, we will have to return to a broad military operation that will exact a price, at least as much as Operation Protective Edge if not more than that.”

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman received an assessment of the situation at the Israel Defence Force’s (IDF) headquarters in Tel Aviv last night. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also consulted last night with the Defence Minister, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, Director of the Shin Bet Nadav Argaman and National Security Council Director Meir Ben-Shabbat.

In a statement, the Hamas said: “The scope of the Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip and the deliberate attacks on the resistance fighters reflects Israel’s intentions to kill. That makes it clear that the Israeli leadership is committing crimes and that it is impossible to be silent in the face of its crimes. The resistance will not pass on its duty to defend the Palestinian people and to retaliate.”