Israeli air strike in Gaza (archive)
Israeli air strike in Gaza (archive)Reuters

IDF aircraft on Friday evening targeted two Hamas military posts, said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

The air strike followed violent riots on the Gaza border, in which 13,000 Gazan rioters threw grenades and explosives.

There were three incidents of Gazans breaking through the border fence into Israel. The soldiers stopped them before they could reach the homes of Israeli families who live minutes away.

“The IDF holds Hamas responsible for all violence that emanates from the Gaza Strip,” the IDF Spokesperson stressed.

The Hamas-run “health ministry” in Gaza claimed Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian Arab woman during the violent border riots, reported AFP.

Since March 30, Gaza Arabs have held weekly riots along the border, dubbed the “March of the Return”.

The violent border riots in the past included Gazans attempting to infiltrate into Israel, as well as using kites and balloons with explosives attached in order to set fire to Israeli property.

In recent weeks, the protests had not been as violent as they had been when they started. However, the violence flared up again on Friday, likely due to the fact that Israel halted the transfer of Qatari money into Gaza, following escalation in the south earlier this week.

On Sunday, Hamas terrorists launched balloon bombs into Israeli territory using a model airplane.

Hours later, terrorists from Gaza fired a rocket towards southern Israel that was intercepted by the Iron Dome Aerial Defense System.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)