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 JPOST.COM STAFF
IDF vehicle along Gaza border fence 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
IDF vehicle along Gaza border fence 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinians in Gaza rioted near the border fence with Israel on Friday, firing guns in the direction of IDF soldiers, throwing stones and throwing Molotov cocktails, the IDF Spokesman's Office stated.
No soldiers were injured in the incident, however light damage was caused to an IDF vehicle. Channel 2 reported that the vehicle which was damaged belonged to commander of the Southern Gaza Division, Maj. Gen. Ofer Vinter.
Israeli military sources stated that three Palestinians were hit by IDF return fire. None of the three wounded in the incident in the northern Gaza Strip was seriously hurt, a Palestinian medical source said.
The incident came after Palestinian terrorists broke a three-month cease-fire on Tuesday and fired a rocket from Gaza into southern Israel.
The rocket fell on a road south of Ashkelon causing damage, but no injuries.
The M-75-type medium-range projectile was 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, the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade, said it was behind the attack, according to the Palestinian news agency Ma’an.
The report said the brigades fired a rocket in response to the “liquidation” of Palestinian prisoner Arafat Jaradat, who recently died in the Megiddo security prison.
Although Hamas is not believed to have fired the rocket, it is unlikely that the Al-Aksa Brigade in Gaza could have done so independently, without Hamas’s blessing.
The rocket siren warning system did not go off in Ashkelon during the attack, a failure that is being investigated by the IDF.
Following the attack, the IDF shut the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Gaza to goods and decreased activity at the Erez Crossing, allowing only humanitarian goods to enter the Strip.
Yaakov Lappin and Reuters contributed to this report.