BICOM

Three armed Palestinians were killed and three arrested, after three separate attempts to break through the Gaza border fence last night.

In the first incident, two suspects broke through the border fence and crossed over the border near the southern Gaza strip. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers fired towards them, killing one and injuring the other, who was given medical attention and taken in for questioning. In the second incident IDF soldiers shot and killed two men who broke through the border fence and threw explosive devices at soldiers. In the third incident, two Palestinians were arrested shortly after they crossed the border. According to the IDF, the men were equipped with wire-cutters and knives. 42 Palestinians have been killed in the recent violence taking place along the Gaza border.

Ten thousand demonstrators were reported to have gathered along the Gaza border last Friday for the fifth week of  protests. Four Palestinians were killed, including a 15-year-old boy, and hundreds were injured, including six in serious condition. In central Gaza, opposite the Karni crossing, a group of approximately 1,000 Palestinians approached the border fence under the cover of smoke from burning tyres. According to video footage released by the IDF, the group tried to damage the border fence and threw IEDs, stones and a hand grenade at IDF soldiers.

After the protests the Israel Air Force (AIF) attacked several Hamas targets, including an outpost, a warehouse and two naval vessels. According to IDF officials, the attack was carried out in response  “to the terrorist operations and the broad-scale attempt to infiltrate Israeli territory in the course of the day. All of the tools are in our hands and we are attacking deep [inside the Gaza Strip]. We have no intention of continuing to play this game”. No one was injured in the strikes.

UK Ambassador to Israel, David Quarrey visited the Gaza border fence on 27 April accompanied by Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). According to Maariv, “Quarrey wore a bullet-proof vest and a helmet and was even filmed by Islamic Jihad who later broadcast the footage but did not identify the senior diplomat. After his visit, the Ambassador did not change his mind about the use of live fire, but in conversations he held while there, it was possible to conclude that he better understood the complexity of the situation”.

The High Court of Justice will today hear two petitions challenging the IDF rules of engagement on the Gaza border. The petitions were filed by human rights organisations to challenge the use of live fire on demonstrators along the Gaza-Israel border who they say are not endangering human life.