Gaza gunmen fire at IDF soldiers across border

No soldiers hurt in incident, but IDF vehicle damaged; soldiers return fire lightly wounding 3 Palestinians.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
IDF vehicle along Gaza border fence 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
IDF vehicle along Gaza border fence 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
After months of calm, the Gaza border once again became the scene of a gun attack on the IDF on Friday, when a Palestinian terrorist fired at an IDF jeep carrying a senior commander.
Damage caused by the gunfire was found on the jeep of Maj.-Gen. Ofer Vinter, commander of the northern brigade of the Gaza Division. No one was injured in the attack, which occurred in northern Gaza. The IDF did not return fire.
Throughout Friday, the army also encountered several groups of Palestinian rioters along the border. The rioters hurled firebombs and rocks at soldiers, and approached the border.
The IDF opened fire during three disturbances, lightly injuring three Palestinians, Palestinian medical sources said.
Palestinians also rioted at several locations across the West Bank. IDF soldiers dispersed them using tear gas and rubber bullets.
At least one Palestinian was seriously hurt after being hit in the head by a rubber bullet, a Palestinian ambulance worker said.
Last year, an escalation in Palestinian attacks on IDF patrols along the border, which included explosives, shoulder-held missiles and large-scale rocket fire on the South, prompted an eight-day Israel Air Force offensive against Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Friday’s violence along the Gaza border came after terrorists in the Strip broke a three month truce by firing a rocket at Ashkelon last week. The rocket fell on a road south of Ashkelon, causing damage but no injuries.
The rocket fired was an M-75 medium-range projectile – the same as those used to hit Tel Aviv and greater Jerusalem during November’s eight-day conflict with Hamas. The Gaza branch of Fatah’s Aksa Martyrs Brigades said it was behind the attack, according to the Palestinian news agency Ma’an.
Reuters and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.