Dozens of Palestinians cross into Israel from Gaza; 5 of them arrested

Earlier on Saturday, Israeli security forces on Saturday shot dead two Palestinians aged 12 and 15 in protests along Gaza's border fence, Palestinian medics said.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Updated: OCTOBER 11, 2015 09:34
IDF clash with Palestinians near Gaza border
Gazan rioters approaching the border with Israel were shot by IDF soldiers on Saturday after ignoring warning shots to cease their advance.
Two Palestinian rioters aged 12 and 15 were shot dead in the clashes, Palestinian medics said, according to a Reuters report, while seven were killed in similar incidents on Friday.
On Saturday night, Gazans damaged the security fence and dozens of rioters infiltrated Israel from southern Gaza, but were immediately surrounded by security personnel.
“The incident is under the full control of our forces, and ended with five of the infiltrators being taken for questioning and the remainder returning to the Strip,” the IDF said.
The Southern Command responded to multiple-border fence clashes throughout the weekend, and shot eight suspects who attempted to reach the boundary.
Soldiers first called out warnings and fired warning shots to try and stop the rioters from advancing into the closed military zone 100 meters from the border, before finally firing at them.
Opposite Nahal Oz, around 100 Gazans held a violent demonstration on Saturday, a day after seven Gazan rioters were shot dead at the same location.
“Our forces are deployed up and down the border, ready for any developments,” an army source said Saturday evening.
On Friday, some 200 Gazans approached the border fence opposite Kibbutz Nahal Oz, burning tires and throwing rocks. They ignored calls by soldiers to stop and entered the closed military zone and came to within 50 meters of the fence, an army spokeswoman said.
Soldiers first fired in the air to stop their advance, but the rioters would not halt and soldiers opened fire.
Hospital officials put the death toll at seven, with at least 14 others wounded.
Further south, Palestinian rioters attempted to burst through the fence at the Erez crossing; soldiers fired in the air, dispersing the crowd.
On Friday night, a rocket fired from Gaza exploded in an open area of the Eshkol region.
There were no injuries and no damage reported. The rocket set off warning sirens in the Gaza-border communities, sending residents fleeing for cover.
The leader of Hamas’s political wing in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, called on Palestinians to step up their fight against Israel.
“This is Friday, this is the day of rage... It is a day that will represent the start of a new intifada in all of the land of Palestine,” Haniyeh told followers after Friday prayers in Gaza.
“We give souls and blood for Jerusalem. Jerusalem and Aksa is part of the religion,” he said, describing Palestinians who have shot or stabbed Israeli civilians to death as “heroes.”
“Gaza stands beside the battle in Jerusalem... Gaza is fully ready,” he added, saying all Palestinians should defend the Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, who last week was appointed the new OC Southern Command, warned that Israel faces “many” security challenges on its southern borders.
“The challenges as I understand them from the past, and which I studied recently, are many on all fronts – the Gaza Strip, Sinai and the Arava. The reality is dynamic and explosive, as recent days prove,” he said.
Reuters contributed to this report.