The IDF spotted a terror cell approaching the security fence opposite central Gaza early Saturday morning, and opened fire on it. The IDF believes that it hit some of the terrorists, which took place near Kisufim.
This was corroborated by Bethlehem-based news agency Ma'an, which said that three Arabs were injured when Israeli helicopter gunships fired at them. The head of emergency and ambulance services in Gaza confirmed the injury of three Gaza residents who were undergoing treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Shortly after the incident, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and the Al-Aqsa Brigades of Fatah, said two of the three Arabs injured were affiliated with their groups.
Arab “security sources” told the news agency that armored Israeli vehicles fired shells at areas in the south-central border region following the attempted attack.
Car thieves wounded
Two Arabs were reportedly wounded by IDF gunfire when they tried to steal cars from a lot southwest of Hevron Saturday.
The incident occurred Saturday morning at a car lot near the IDF base of Adoraim, where confiscated stolen cars are held. The Arabs had entered the lot in five of their own cars, apparently planning to steal a large number of cars from the lot. They drove away at high speed when they spotted an IDF force approaching them. The driver of one of the cars tried to run over the soldiers in the course of the getaway.
The soldiers opened fire on the cars, and a chase developed. The IDF succeeded in stopping one of the cars and the suspects inside it were arrested and taken away to interrogation. The IDF's Coordination and Liaison Administration in Hevron, which maintains contacts with local Palestinian Authority officials, later received a report that two Arabs who were inside one of the cars had been wounded by the soldier's bullets.
Two incidents at Hussan
Also Saturday, Arabs threw rocks at an Israeli-owned vehicle near the village of Hussan in Gush Etzion. No one was hurt but the car sustained damage. IDF forces are combing the area.
In another incident at Hussan near Bethlehem Saturday, an Arab tried to run over soldiers with his car. The troops fired at the vehicle and three Arabs were reportedly hurt and evacuated by the Red Crescent to Beit Jala. The IDF is investigating the incident.
An Arab was arrested near Hevron around noon Saturday, after a knife with a seven cm blade was found in his possession during a routine security check. The knife was confiscated and the Arab was taken to interrogation.