(Ynet News) Ron Ben Yishai - The IDF doesn't allow the Palestinians in Gaza to approach the border fence. On the other side of the fence on Friday were hundreds of Palestinian rioters. Not far from the fence are Hamas and Islamic Jihad observation towers. The job of the armed men standing inside them is to make sure things don't get out of control. Hamas wants protests that look good on camera, but not battles that lead to escalation. A group breaks away from the front row of Palestinians and runs forward towards the fence to sabotage it. IDF snipers ask for authorization to fire. Only the brigade or the battalion commanders are allowed to authorize live fire. And even then, it's only at the legs. At six other active hotspots of clashes along the border, events are playing out based on the exact same rules: Burning tires, cries of "Allahu Akbar," Palestinians running towards the fence and trying to sabotage it and fly Palestinian flags next to it, IDF sniper fire and Israeli jeeps launching tear gas grenades. Hamas has decided not to push things too much. The number of protesters is smaller than before. Earlier Friday, two rockets were fired by Salafi groups towards an area where a ceremony was being held in memory of IDF soldier Oron Shaul, whose body is being held by Hamas. The Katyusha rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile-defense system. A mortar shell was also fired and it hit an Israeli home in a border community, causing damage to the structure. -
2018-01-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive