The terrorist organizations in Gaza threatened that the border riots this Friday would be a "decisive test" for Israel.
Hamas was angered by the deaths of four rioters during the previous round of protests last week.
"We will not sit idly by in the face of these crimes," a joint statement issued Sunday by the factions in Gaza. According to them, "there was malicious intent to snipe at the shaheeds (martyrs) and the wounded, and the dead were 300-600 meters away from the fence and therefore did not endanger IDF soldiers. Most of the wounded were standing at a distance of 150-300 meters, which shows that there was a clear intention here by the snipers to hit them."
The factions threatened that this coming Friday would be decisive and Israel's behavior would be put to the test, and declared that they had prepared and difficult responses, the nature of which would be determined by the conduct on the ground. "The criminal steps against our people crossed all the red lines," they added. "When it comes to the blood of our people, no money, electricity, water or even a breath of air will prevent us from doing what is required of us."
The IDF has begun to take precautions, including traffic on the roads near the Gaza Strip, for fear of retaliation for the deaths of the four rioters on Friday, and some 10,000 Arabs gathered at various locations and tried to throw explosive devices and even cross the fence .
In the course of the clashes, the IDF responded with fire and the Palestinian Health Ministry announced that four people were killed and dozens more injured, one of whom was Mohammed Mu'in Khalil Jahjouh, a 16-year-old boy who was evacuated to hospital after being hit in the neck. The renewal of confrontations on the Gaza Strip's border comes after a period of relative calm in Gaza and rising violence in Judea and Samaria.
Violence in the Gaza Strip has waned recently after the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and the transfer of $15 million from Qatar. The launching of incendiary balloons was stopped and in the first few demonstrations, almost no explosive charges and grenades were thrown, and there were almost no organized attempts to damage the fence. However, after a few weeks the friction between the demonstrators and the IDF intensified, and the demonstrations returned to the violent level that preceded the cease-fire.