Senior officers in the IDF's Gaza Division have warned in recent weeks that the involvement of Arab workers in construction and maintenance work at IDF outposts near the Gaza border could pose a dual risk - both intelligence and operational.
According to a Ynet report, the concern arose following an incident last week when an unarmed terrorist approached an IDF outpost on the outskirts of Gaza City. The soldiers identified him late, as some believed he was a civilian worker from those employed at the site.
The unit, led by an officer from the outpost, surrounded the suspect and arrested him about 150 meters from the positions. During the investigation, it was determined that he was unarmed, but the incident reignited concerns in the area.
According to the officers, there are dozens of workers, some from the Bedouin community, who perform work at outposts and in the buffer zone. In some cases, they enter sensitive operational areas near observation posts, weapons systems, and classified equipment.
The IDF is trying to limit their access, but the officers report that this is a complex task that cannot be tightly monitored at all times.
"This is not an issue of racism," they clarified in the sector. "These workers have family members in the Gaza Strip. We are trying to restrict these workers to certain areas within the outposts, but it’s a complex issue and difficult to control."
In one of the recent incidents in the southern Gaza, several Gazans attempted to steal weapons from an outpost. One of them fled and was killed in an airstrike. The officers recall past cases where a mistaken identification of civilian workers ended in a deadly shooting incident.