Gaza gunmen shoot at soldiers on fence

None hurt; IAF jets strike tunnel leading from Strip into Israel in response to Kassam rocket attack.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
tracers from kassam rockets 248.88 (photo credit: AP [file] )
tracers from kassam rockets 248.88
(photo credit: AP [file] )
Palestinian gunmen in the northern Gaza Strip fired shots at IDF soldiers who were fixing the Gaza border fence on Sunday. The soldier were not hurt in the incident and no damage was reported. The shooting attack came hours after IAF jets struck a tunnel leading from the northern Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on Saturday night. The IDF said it had destroyed a building housing the entrance to the tunnel 1.5km from the border. The tunnel was to be used to infiltrate Israel and carry out a terror attack, the army said. The attack was in response to a Kassam rocket launched from the Strip Saturday morning. The rocket hit the western Negev. It landed in an open area in the Sdot Negev region. No one was hurt in the incident and no damage was reported. The attack came a day after the UN chief called on Palestinian factions to reconcile and resume peace negotiations with Israel. On Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "It will be crucially important that the Palestinian peoples are united among themselves and should be able to carry on these negotiations." Ban voiced support for the Saudi-backed Arab peace initiative, but added, "at the same time we also value ... bilateral negotiations between Israel and Palestinian authorities." But Saturday's Kassam launch was not the first violent incident on the Gaza border this week. On Thursday, Palestinians fired shots at IDF soldiers near the Kissufim Crossing. The troops were not hurt in the incident and the shooters managed to flee. Earlier that day, a mortar shell fired towards Israel landed within the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday evening, IDF troops shot and injured a Palestinian suspect who was caught trying to cross the Gaza border fence. Soldiers shot at the man after he failed to heed calls to stop and shots were fired in the air. The suspect was evacuated for medical treatment in Israel, and then transferred for interrogation.