BICOM

Israeli soldiers stationed at the Gaza border came under fire yesterday morning, prompting the IDF to respond by firing tank shells at a Hamas military post.

The Israeli forces were securing engineering works taking place near the border fence, when they were fired upon. There were no reports of injuries or damage, but according to Channel Ten, Israeli farmers in the vicinity were instructed to stop work and to remain indoors.

In response to the gunfire, the IDF fired three tank shells at a Hamas position, reportedly an observation tower, which Palestinian media say was situated near the Al-Bureij refugee camp. An IDF statement confirmed that in response they had “targeted a Hamas post”.

Although no organisation has taken responsibility for yesterday’s gunfire targeting Israeli troops, Israel holds Hamas responsible for all attacks from the Gaza Strip as the area’s de facto ruling power.

Israeli forces have periodically come under fire on the Gaza border, both on routine patrols or whilst working on the construction of a barrier along the border to protect Israeli communities from tunnelling activity. Hamas has been attempting to re-construct the network of tunnels used to attack Israeli targets during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

Yesterday’s skirmish follows increased tension between Israel and Hamas, following accusations that Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency was responsible for the death of a drone engineer in Tunisia on Thursday. The engineer is thought to have been responsible for helping Hamas develop unmanned aircraft in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas’s Qassam Brigade announced that Mohammed Zawari had been gunned down in his car outside his home near the city of Sfax in Tunisia. Assassins are thought to have rammed his car before opening fire with silencers, killing Zawari on the spot.

Hamas blamed Mossad, saying: “The enemy must know the blood of the leader Zawari will not go in vain.”

Yesterday, Tunisian authorities blamed “foreign elements” for Zawari’s killing and a court in Sfax said that a Belgian and a Swedish national were wanted in connection with the murder.