The town of Netiv Haasarah in southern Israel was on high alert on Saturday night after residents noticed a suspicious figure outdoors. Security forces feared that a Gaza terrorist had infiltrated the community and went into the area in force, telling residents to stay in their homes.
Sources in Gaza said the IDF set off flares along the Gaza security barrier as part of the search.
The search ended one hour after it began when security forces nabbed the infiltrator, who was revealed to be an unarmed 14-year-old boy. He was detained and taken in for questioning.
The incident may indicate that terrorists are preparing for an attack. Terror groups have been known to "test the water" by sending unarmed civilians, often children, to test security forces' response.
IDF officials reported last week that Gaza terrorists have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks. September saw more mortar shell, missile and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians than any month since the Cast Lead counterterror operation ended in January 2009.