The first of two attacks this afternoon was perpetrated at 2:30 PM along the Israeli-Egyptian border, where infrastructure work on a new walled security zone is underway. An Arab sniper in Rafiach opened fire at the Israelis, wounding an IDF soldier and lightly wounding a civilian crane operator. The soldier is listed in moderate condition.
In a second attack, a short while later, Arab terrorists shot at a terminal for the passage of Arab workers near N'vei Dekalim. No one was injured in this attack.
IDF spokesperson Yael Hartmann told Arutz-7 that in addition to the sharp escalation in Arab attacks against Israeli targets, the Palestinian Authority is making zero effort to halt the attacks.
“There was no response today, and there isn’t going to be any response,” the spokesperson said, adding that the IDF did not even return fire toward the sniper.
There has been a 300% increase in Arab attacks in comparison with the preceding weeks. Specifically, there were 50 assaults on Jews, including sniper fire, shelling of IDF and civilian targets, and detonation of explosive devices. Yesterday, an IDF soldier from the Givati Brigade was wounded in southern Gaza from Arab-fired bullets.
The Israeli government has instructed the IDF not to respond to these attacks, but rather to show restraint in accordance with the understandings reached two months ago at Sharm el-Sheikh. Those understandings featured an Israeli pledge to end its counter-terrorism activities, in return for Palestinian Authority leader Abu Mazen's announcement that he had reached an agreement with all the terror factions for a ceasefire. In fact, however, most of the terror organizations agreed only several weeks later to a "tahadiye" - a calming-down period - which is considered to be somewhat less than even a "hudna," or temporary ceasefire.
“There is no evidence of a cease-fire here,” the IDF spokesperson said. “The PA needs to take control of the streets. There is a big difference between what Abu Mazen is saying and what he is doing. Palestinian security forces have been stationed all over Gaza and along the Philadelphi Route. They have guns and outposts – they just don’t do anything and they didn’t do anything in this case either. They could have stopped it.”
Despite Hartmann's report of the PA doing nothing to stop terrorism and what commentators describe as the resulting damage to IDF soldiers’ morale at not being able to go after terrorists, the IDF spokesperson says the army will continue to sit quietly. “We are a body that carries out the orders of the government and we have been told to give them space,” she said, “to give them a chance.”
The two Israelis wounded in today's attack were evacuated by helicopter to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva. The soldier was taken directly to the operating room, where he is being operated on after sustaining a bullet in his stomach. The civilian is being treated in the emergency room.
A Gazan branch of Abu Mazen's Fatah organization, the Popular Resistance Committees, has claimed responsibility for the sniping attack this afternoon along the Philadelphi Route.
In other security news, it was reported this afternoon that two wanted terrorists arrested north of Ramallah late last night are Hamas members who planned to commit shooting attacks on the main Jewish highway in the area... The IDF removed a Ramallah-area checkpoint today - the fourth in the past several days - as part of its program to ease restrictions for the Arab population of Judea and Samaria.
An IDF soldier checks Arab workers' documents at the terminal.
IDF spokesperson Yael Hartmann told Arutz-7 that in addition to the sharp escalation in Arab attacks against Israeli targets, the Palestinian Authority is making zero effort to halt the attacks.
“There was no response today, and there isn’t going to be any response,” the spokesperson said, adding that the IDF did not even return fire toward the sniper.
There has been a 300% increase in Arab attacks in comparison with the preceding weeks. Specifically, there were 50 assaults on Jews, including sniper fire, shelling of IDF and civilian targets, and detonation of explosive devices. Yesterday, an IDF soldier from the Givati Brigade was wounded in southern Gaza from Arab-fired bullets.
The Israeli government has instructed the IDF not to respond to these attacks, but rather to show restraint in accordance with the understandings reached two months ago at Sharm el-Sheikh. Those understandings featured an Israeli pledge to end its counter-terrorism activities, in return for Palestinian Authority leader Abu Mazen's announcement that he had reached an agreement with all the terror factions for a ceasefire. In fact, however, most of the terror organizations agreed only several weeks later to a "tahadiye" - a calming-down period - which is considered to be somewhat less than even a "hudna," or temporary ceasefire.
“There is no evidence of a cease-fire here,” the IDF spokesperson said. “The PA needs to take control of the streets. There is a big difference between what Abu Mazen is saying and what he is doing. Palestinian security forces have been stationed all over Gaza and along the Philadelphi Route. They have guns and outposts – they just don’t do anything and they didn’t do anything in this case either. They could have stopped it.”
Despite Hartmann's report of the PA doing nothing to stop terrorism and what commentators describe as the resulting damage to IDF soldiers’ morale at not being able to go after terrorists, the IDF spokesperson says the army will continue to sit quietly. “We are a body that carries out the orders of the government and we have been told to give them space,” she said, “to give them a chance.”
The two Israelis wounded in today's attack were evacuated by helicopter to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva. The soldier was taken directly to the operating room, where he is being operated on after sustaining a bullet in his stomach. The civilian is being treated in the emergency room.
A Gazan branch of Abu Mazen's Fatah organization, the Popular Resistance Committees, has claimed responsibility for the sniping attack this afternoon along the Philadelphi Route.
In other security news, it was reported this afternoon that two wanted terrorists arrested north of Ramallah late last night are Hamas members who planned to commit shooting attacks on the main Jewish highway in the area... The IDF removed a Ramallah-area checkpoint today - the fourth in the past several days - as part of its program to ease restrictions for the Arab population of Judea and Samaria.