Escalation on Gaza border: Shots fired at IDF troops

No injuries reported after IDF returns fire inside territory; earlier, around 140 Palestinians gather near border.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
IDF on Gaza border, March 13, 2014. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
IDF on Gaza border, March 13, 2014.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The border between northern Gaza and Israel was the scene of two violent incidents on Thursday morning.
A group of 140 Palestinians crossed into a closed military zone on the border with Israel, near the Erez crossing, and ignored IDF calls to leave. Soldiers then fired at the legs of the suspects. Palestinian medial sources claimed two people were injured in the clash.
A few hours later in the same area, shots were fired at an IDF unit from within the Gaza Strip.
The IDF returned fire in the general direction from which the soldiers were shot at. None were injured in the exchange of fire.
Last week, Israel Air Force jets struck five terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip, after four rockets were launched toward southern Israel, activating the Code Red alert in Sderot and surrounding communities.
The IAF strike came after weeks of relative calm. Last month, a large-scale rocket attack on the South was launched by Islamic Jihad terrorists.
The air force struck nearly 30 Gaza targets in response to the attack, and calm soon returned to the South.