Fence along southern border / illustrative
Fence along southern border / illustrativeIsrael news photo: Flash 90

IDF soldiers exchanged fire with Palestinian Authority Arab terrorists Thursday along the border of northern Gaza after they were ambushed. The terrorists opened fire on the soldiers as they were working on the security fence near Kibbutz Zikkim.

Both gunshots and mortar shells were fired at the IDF troops, who immediately called for backup. IDF tanks and troops returned fire, killing 2 terrorists.

An IDF spokeswoman who spoke with Arutz Sheva confirmed that although a military vehicle was damaged in the exchange, all personnel returned safely to base.

PA sources in Gaza said the exchange had taken place near the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya.

The incident follows two days of relative quiet that came after a weekend in which 39 rockets and mortar attacks were launched by Gaza terrorists at southern Israel.

The port city of Ashdod, the coastal city of Ashkelon, the central Negev city of Be'er Sheva and numerous other communities all came under fire for a period spanning five days.

One man was killed, 16 people were wounded – including a baby and a young girl – and another 14 people were sent to hospital suffering from trauma reactions and severe anxiety during the barrage.

Some 200,000 Israeli children in the region also lost three days of class time due to the constant rocket and mortar attacks – but by Wednesday morning, life in the region had returned to normal.

Home Front Command officials elected to go ahead with a rocket attack simulation and mass casualty event drill Thursday that was previously scheduled two months ahead for Israel's central Gush Dan region, encompassing the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area. The exercise was launched Thursday morning and is expected to last most of the day.