(Updated Wednesday 10 AM) IDF troops backed by tanks, helicopters, and naval gunboats plunged into a PLO-controlled section of the southern Gaza coast in an attempt to thwart an arms smuggling operation, late last night. The soldiers used flairs to conduct searches along the shore for arms, possibly arriving via sea. Troops fired at a number of floating barrels in the water, fearing that they contained weapons caches. At least one of the barrels exploded. The operation continues this morning.
The IDF activity comes just several hours before a scheduled meeting between Defense Minister Binyamin-Ben Eliezer and Abdel Razak Yichye, who holds the PA’s Interior portfolio. The two are to discuss the status of the “Gaza and Bethlehem First” arrangement. Under the plan IDF forces will pull back from PLO-areas in exchange for promises of quiet.
The IDF activity comes just several hours before a scheduled meeting between Defense Minister Binyamin-Ben Eliezer and Abdel Razak Yichye, who holds the PA’s Interior portfolio. The two are to discuss the status of the “Gaza and Bethlehem First” arrangement. Under the plan IDF forces will pull back from PLO-areas in exchange for promises of quiet.