Incidents on the rise near Gaza security fence

On Saturday, IDF arrested four unarmed Palestinians who were attempting to cross into Israel.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Published: NOVEMBER 26, 2005 23:47
For the first time in weeks, a number of violent incidents erupted near the Gaza security fence over the weekend, including the firing of shots at an IDF patrol on Friday near the central Gaza security fence. On Saturday, IDF forces arrested four unarmed Palestinians who were attempting to cross into Israel via the north Gaza security fence. The army noted that since the IDF withdrawal from Gaza, security forces have thwarted four attempts by unarmed Palestinians to illegally enter Israel. The two incidents in the Gaza area notwithstanding, security officials noted there was a significant decrease in violence over the weekend, especially in the West Bank. Two Palestinian youths were caught attempting to smuggle 20 M-16 bullets through the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus in the West Bank on Saturday and were arrested. The two were handed over to security officials for questioning. In recent weeks, security forces have thwarted numerous attempts by Palestinians operating on behalf of terror groups to smuggle bombs, weapons and ammunition through the crossing. Also over the weekend, security forces arrested nine Hamas fugitives in operations conducted in Nablus and Hebron and their environs. Also in Hebron, police arrested two teenagers on Saturday for allegedly throwing stones at Palestinian homes. Damage was caused to one of the homes. Police were on high alert over the weekend in Hebron after some 10,000 Jews attended festive prayers there marking the reading of the Torah portion commemorating the life of the matriarch Sarah who is buried in the Tomb of the Patriarchs. On Friday, demonstrators protested against construction of a section of the security fence in the outskirts of the West Bank village of Bil'in near Ramallah. Meanwhile, 12 firebombs were hurled at a Jerusalem apartment building Saturday night, lightly damaging the building, police said. There were no injuries reported in the 8:45 p.m. attack on the building, located in the city's outlying Reches Shuafat neighborhood. The suspected Arab assailants fled the scene. Yaakov Katz and Etgar Lefkovits contributed to this report.