The IDF attacked a group of snipers from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group in the southern Gaza Strip near Khan Younis, after the terrorists fired at Israeli soldiers in Israeli territory on Wednesday, according to an IDF spokesperson.
There were no Israeli injuries in the incident. Palestinian media reported that a Palestinian was lightly to moderately wounded by IDF soldiers. It is unclear if the injured Palestinian was one of the terrorists. Palestinian snipers managed to hit an IDF surveillance camera near the area, according to the Palestinian Sawa news. On Tuesday, the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced that it would expand the Gaza Strip’s fishing zone from 10 to 15 nautical miles and approve an additional 2,000 travel permits for merchants on Wednesday.
“If the calm is preserved, Israel will restore the fishing zone to 15 nautical miles and will increase by 2,000 the permits for Gaza merchants,” COGAT said.
“The continuation of this policy will be determined by action on the ground,” it said. “Hamas is responsible for what is happening in Gaza and from Gaza. If the calm is not preserved, Israel will act accordingly.”
In the past few weeks, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have warned that Israel will not tolerate the continuation of terrorist activity against Israeli citizens.
According to the pan-Arab Al-Araby al-Jadid news site, Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza have raised their alert level due to fears of targeted assassinations and possible Israeli military action against the coastal enclave, despite the fact that elections are taking place in just two weeks. The terrorist groups also fear that military action could be used to gain Netanyahu votes in the March elections.
Last week, an Egyptian security delegation visited the Gaza Strip and warned Hamas to avoid escalating the military conflict with Israel and to stop supporting Iran, according to Al-Arabiya.
After leaving the Strip, the delegation headed for Israel to discuss stopping the recent military escalation with Gaza, according to Al-Arabiya. The Egyptians called on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and to stop targeting the Strip.
Over a dozen rockets and mortars, as well as countless explosive balloons and condoms, have been launched towards Gaza periphery communities in recent weeks.
This is a developing story. Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.
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