JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops fatally shot two Palestinians who infiltrated the country from Gaza and attacked soldiers with explosives Sunday night, and in a separate incident killed another Palestinian who tried to breach the border, the military said.

Another Palestinian was detained in the latter incident, and two more were caught trying to cross the border in a third case, the military said.

The Gaza border has been tense in recent weeks, with the Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza urging mass Palestinian protests there every Friday as part of a weeks-long campaign against a decade-old blockade of the territory. The protests have turned violent and 39 Palestinians have been killed during the unrest, which began March 30.

Israel says that it is defending its sovereign border, including nearby communities, and that its troops target only instigators. Israel accuses Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, of trying to carry out attacks under the guise of the mass protests.

The military said that "two terrorists who infiltrated into Israel hurled explosive devices" at soldiers Sunday night. The soldiers returned fire, killing them.

About a half hour earlier, two Palestinians damaged the security fence and tried to cross into Israel. Troops opened fire, killing one, the military said. The other was detained for questioning, it said.

In a third incident, soldiers spotted two Palestinians trying to breach the border. They were arrested and found to have knives and wire cutters on their persons, the military said.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas in Gaza.

Also Sunday, the Israeli army said most of the deaths of Palestinians during the Gaza unrest have been unintentional. An unidentified senior officer in Israel's southern command told the newspaper Haaretz that snipers have been aiming at protesters' legs, but people have been killed after bending down, when struck by a ricocheting bullet or when a sniper misses the target.

A second senior officer confirmed the report, saying that while there is no exact breakdown, the "overwhelming majority" of deaths were unintentional, including a teenage boy and two Palestinian journalists who apparently were caught in crossfire. He said an exception was Friday, when soldiers opened fire at a large crowd that attempted to break through the border fence, killing three people.

The officer spoke on condition of anonymity under military guidelines.

Israel has been accused by the United Nations, European Union and rights groups of using excessive force against unarmed protesters. Israel says it is aiming only at instigators, and accuses Hamas of using civilians for cover to carry out attacks.

Israel says some of those protesting have tried to damage the border fence or plant explosives along it. Others have hurled improvised explosives and firebombs at soldiers while others have flown kites with burning rags attached to set Israeli fields on fire.

There is considerable fear among Israelis of a mass breach in which Gazans stream across, militants mixed in, wreaking havoc. Israel has warned that anyone approaching the border fence is risking their lives and accused Hamas of cynically exploiting civilians for its agenda.

Hamas has attacked Israelis with suicide bombings, shootings and rockets over the years. For more than a decade the group has tightly controlled Gaza, quashing dissent.

Hamas says the protests are aimed at breaking a crippling border blockade that was imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Islamic militant group overran Gaza in 2007.

The blockade has devastated Gaza's economy, made it virtually impossible for people to enter and exit the territory, and left residents with just a few hours of electricity a day. Tap water is undrinkable and its Mediterranean coast has been polluted with untreated waste. Life in the coastal strip has deteriorated further in recent months, with rising unemployment and grinding poverty.

Other blockade-busting tactics by Hamas have failed over the years, including three cross-border wars with Israel and repeated rounds of unsuccessful power-sharing talks with the West Bank-based Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The last round collapsed, in part because Hamas refused to disarm.

The protests also press for a "return" of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to what is now Israel. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were displaced in the 1948 war over Israel's creation.

The protests are to culminate May 15, the anniversary of Israel's founding. Palestinians mark the date as their "nakba," or catastrophe. </s> A Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces on the Gaza border Tuesday, the health ministry in the strip said, as tensions remained high days after 17 people were killed when a mass demonstration led to clashes

The ministry identified the dead man as 25-year-old Ahmed Arafa, saying he was shot in the chest during clashes east of Bureij in central Gaza, reported AFP.

Israel’s army said in a statement that “throughout the day, tens of Palestinians participated in violent riots in four main locations along the Gaza border.”

It added that “troops used riot dispersal means, and fired towards suspects who were involved in damaging the security fence.”

It was the first death since at least 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops on Friday when a protest by tens of thousands of people resulted in clashes. That was the deadliest day since the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas.

Smaller protests have continued since, with thousands expected to take to the streets again on Friday.

Israel’s use of live fire has come under criticism from rights groups, while the European Union and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation.

But earlier Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman issued a new warning, saying those who approach the fence between Gaza and Israel will put “their life in danger.”

Israel has defended its soldiers’ actions on Friday, saying they opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

Palestinians say protesters were fired on while posing no threat to soldiers.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said Friday’s killings were unlawful and “calculated,” also saying the border protests posed no immediate threat to Israeli soldiers. </s> For the second time in two days soldiers opened fire on armed militants, defence forces say

This article is more than 4 weeks old

This article is more than 4 weeks old

Israeli soldiers fired at a Palestinian militant on the Gaza border on Sunday, the military said, and a Palestinian medic said the man was killed.

It was the second such incident since Saturday when Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians who attempted to cross the volatile border.

“IDF [Israel Defense Forces] troops spotted an armed terrorist approaching the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip. The terrorist opened fire towards the troops,” the military said of the second incident.

The soldiers returned fire and an Israeli tank fired at a post belonging to Hamas, the Islamist armed group that rules Gaza.

The IDF said no Israelis were hurt.

In a post on Twitter on Saturday, the IDF said the four men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades, one of which was hurled at their troops. “Once one of the terrorists crossed into Israel, our troops opened fire.”

Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) These are the weapons possessed by the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza last night.



Their (unfulfilled) objective: murdering Israelis. pic.twitter.com/sQbMPK59sX

There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials in Gaza or from militant groups in the territory.

Gaza is ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade. Israel pulled its troops and settlers from the territory in 2005 but keeps the enclave under a blockade, citing security concerns. Tensions along the border are high with frequent fatalities. </s> A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces as he broke through the Gaza security fence on Tuesday, as tensions continued days after at least 16 people were reported killed in a mass border demonstration.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry identified the dead man as 25-year-old Ahmed Arafa, saying he was shot in the chest during clashes east of Bureij in central Gaza. The military wing of the DFLP (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine) terrorist group identified him as a member.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it used live fire against a group of Palestinians who broke through the security fence during the protest.

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Surveillance camera footage, provided by the army, showed one person smashing the fence with what appears to be a metal pipe. He is joined by four others, two of whom go through a hole in the fence. Then it appears warning shots were fired.

The two men run back into Gaza, and once they are through the fence the video cuts out. It was unclear when Arafa was shot.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, dozens of Palestinians took part in “violent riots in four locations along the Gaza Strip.”

The army said it used mostly less-lethal riot dispersal measures against the demonstrators — tear gas and rubber bullets — but used live rounds against the people who sabotaged the fence.

“The IDF will not allow security infrastructure and the fence, which protects Israeli citizens to be damaged, and we will take action against terrorists who are involved,” the army said in a statement.

“We again warn against approaching the fence,” the IDF added.

On Friday, over 30,000 Palestinians demonstrated along the Gaza border, in what Israel describes as a riot orchestrated by the Hamas terrorist group, which rules Gaza, and what Palestinians say was supposed to be a peaceful protest.

There were discrepancies in Palestinian reports on the Gaza death toll from Friday. While Hamas claimed Monday that 18 had died, the official news agency of the Palestinian Authority had the number at 16. Israel has no official death toll figures. Over 1,000 were reported injured.

Violent protests have been staged every day since Friday’s mass demonstration, though on a far smaller level, usually involving a few dozen people. Nevertheless, the army has remained on high alert in the area out of concerns that terror groups could capitalize on the tensions and carry out attacks.

Earlier on Tuesday, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Israel will not be changing its policies toward Palestinians rioting along the Gaza security fence and brushed off criticism that the army used a heavy hand during Friday’s protests.

“We have set clear rules of the game and we do not intend to change them. Anyone who approaches the fence endangers his life, and I would recommend that Gaza residents put their efforts not into protesting against Israel, but into regime change within the Strip,” Liberman said during a tour of Israeli communities just outside the coastal enclave.

“I think the [Israel Defense Forces] operated exceptionally well, as expected, and I have no doubt that we will continue to act in the same way in the days to come,” he added.

Speaking to local leaders and the heads of security for the communities, the defense minister defended the army’s actions. “It needs to be understood that the majority of the people killed were terrorists whom we know well, operatives in the military arm of Hamas, as well as in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. These weren’t innocent civilians who came as part of a civil protest,” Liberman said.

The IDF on Saturday named and detailed 10 of the dead as members of terror groups including Hamas. (Hamas, an Islamist terror group that avowedly seeks to destroy Israel, had earlier acknowledged five of them were its members.) Islamic Jihad later claimed an 11th.

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The defense minister put the blame for Friday’s violence solely on Hamas.

“We didn’t initiate any provocations against the residents of Gaza; we protect our residents,” he said.

Asked what the IDF was anticipating for this upcoming Friday, when Hamas has called for renewed clashes on the border, the defense minister said he “didn’t want to make an assessment. We are prepared for every scenario.”

The United States on Saturday blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation of clashes on the Gaza-Israel border, diplomats said.

The draft council statement also expressed “grave concern at the situation at the border.” And it reaffirmed “the right to peaceful protest” and expressed the council’s “sorrow at the loss of innocent Palestinian lives.”

Council members “called upon all sides to exercise restraint and prevent a further escalation,” the draft said. The proposed statement stressed the need to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution.

On Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “those concerned to refrain from any act that could lead to further casualties.” He also called for an independent and transparent investigation into the deaths and injuries during Friday’s clashes.

TOI staff contributed to this report. </s> A Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces on the Gaza border Tuesday, the health ministry in the strip said, as tensions remained days after 17 people were killed when a mass demonstration led to clashes.

The ministry identified the dead man as 25-year-old Ahmed Arafa, saying he was shot in the chest during clashes east of Bureij in central Gaza.

The Israeli army said it was looking into the incident and could not immediately comment.

It was the first death since at least 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops on Friday when a protest by tens of thousands of people resulted in clashes.

It was the deadliest day since the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas.

Smaller protests have continued since, with thousands expected to take to the streets again on Friday.

Israel's use of live fire has come under criticism from rights groups, while the European Union and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation.

But earlier Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman issued a new warning, saying those who approach the fence between Gaza and Israel will put "their life in danger."

Israel has defended its soldiers' actions on Friday, saying they opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

Palestinians say protesters were fired on while posing no threat to soldiers.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said Friday's killings were unlawful and "calculated," also saying the border protests posed no immediate threat to Israeli soldiers. </s> GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: A Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces on the Gaza border Tuesday, the health ministry in the strip said, as tensions remained days after 17 people were killed when a mass demonstration led to clashes.

The ministry identified the dead man as 25-year-old Ahmed Arafa, saying he was shot in the chest during clashes east of Bureij in central Gaza.

The Israeli army said it was looking into the incident and could not immediately comment.

It was the first death since at least 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops on Friday when a protest by tens of thousands of people resulted in clashes.

It was the deadliest day since the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas.

Smaller protests have continued since, with thousands expected to take to the streets again on Friday.

Israel's use of live fire has come under criticism from rights groups, while the European Union and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation.

But earlier Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman issued a new warning, saying those who approach the fence between Gaza and Israel will put "their life in danger."

Israel has defended its soldiers' actions on Friday, saying they opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

Palestinians say protesters were fired on while posing no threat to soldiers.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said Friday's killings were unlawful and "calculated", also saying the border protests posed no immediate threat to Israeli soldiers. — AFP </s> Thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of medical workers in white uniforms, took part on Saturday in the funeral procession of a colleague who was shot dead by Israeli troops the previous day along the Israel-Gaza border.

Relatives say 21-year-old Razan Najjar was a volunteer paramedic who had helped evacuate and treat the wounded during weeks of cross-border violence. She is the second female fatality out of more than 115 killed since the deadly border protest campaign began in late March.

After the funeral, dozens of mourners headed to the fence and started throwing stones at the Israeli soldiers on the other side. The Palestinian Health Ministry said five protesters were wounded by Israeli fire.

In the West Bank, the Israeli military said its troops shot dead a Palestinian who tried to ram a tractor into its forces.

In pictures: 'Bloodiest day in Israel-Palestine conflict' as US moves embassy to Jerusalem

The military said its initial investigation revealed that a 35-year-old Palestinian from a village near Hebron tried to run over an officer with a Bobcat tractor. The attacker then turned around and tried to attack nearby Israeli civilians, the military said.

It said a soldier opened fire, killing the assailant. No Israeli troops were harmed.

Since 2015, Palestinians have killed over 50 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks.

Over 260 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in that time. Israel says most were attackers. The attacks have petered off in recent months as the Palestinian focus has shifted toward mass protests at the Gaza border.

On Friday, the Palestinians protested for the 10th week in a row. The military said some hurled grenades and pipe bombs at troops behind the security fence. Some 40 Palestinians were wounded and Najjar was the only one killed.

The Khan Younis hospital said Najjar had a gunshot wound in the chest with an exit wound in the back.

The military said its troops operated “in accordance with standard operating procedures” and that it was investigating the incident. Israel insists that throughout the weeks-long campaign it has only opened fire at instigators and that Hamas has been cynically using the demonstrations as cover to carry out attacks.

On Saturday, the military said it thwarted a Palestinian attempt to damage the security fence surrounding Gaza and a group of militants briefly entered Israel before fleeing back into Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire.

However, Palestinians and human rights groups have accused Israeli forces of using excessive force on some occasions, and of killing Palestinians who did not pose an imminent threat both in the West Bank and Gaza.

Najjar's body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag as the funeral procession started from the hospital and passed near her home in Khuzaa, a village near the Khan Younis that is close to the border and has served as one of five protest encampments across Gaza in recent weeks. She was the eldest of six siblings.

“I want the world to hear my voice ... what's my daughter's fault?” asked her mother Sabreen, dressed in black and seated on a mattress in her living room. “She will leave a large emptiness at home.”

On May 14, when the protests peaked over the opening of the United Stated embassy in Jerusalem, a 14-year-old girl, Wessal Sheikh Khalil, was the first female protesters to be shot dead. She was among more than 60 people killed that day, the deadliest since a war between Hamas and Israel ended in 2014.

The Gaza protests are being organised by the territory's militant Hamas leadership and are aimed at drawing attention to the decade-long Israeli-Egyptian blockade on the territory. The protesters are also demanding the “right of return” for Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war and their descendants.

Fares al-Kidra, a colleague of Najjar, said they were approaching the fence to evacuate a wounded man and, as they were leaving, three gunshots were heard and Najjar fell to the ground.

Al-Mezan, a Gaza-based rights group, said Najjar was 100 metres from the fence and wearing a clearly marked paramedic's vest when she was shot.

Social media videos, and one captured by Associated Press footage, showed Najjar and a cohort of medics walking toward the fence and raising their hands to reach a wounded man lying on the ground.

Najjar wore a dark blue headscarf and a white coat with the logo of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, where she volunteered.

Izzat Shatat, 23, a volunteering ambulance worker, said he and Najjar were set to announce their engagement at the end of the holy month of Ramazan. He said he was worried and asked her not to go to the border area on Friday but she refused.

“She helped all people. She has never refused to help. She was the first to run toward anybody when he is shot,” he said in tears. </s> A Palestinian opened fire on Israeli guards and Border Police forces outside the entrance to a settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) early Thursday morning, killing three. The gunman was shot, and died of his wounds.

The incident took place outside Har Adar, an Israeli settlement near Jerusalem in the West Bank.

The three Israelis killed include one Border Police officer, named as First Sgt. Solomon Gabariya, and two private guards. A fourth individual is reported wounded.

The Palestinian assailant was named in local media as Nimr Jamal, a 37-year-old father-of-four from Beit Surik, in the occupied West Bank. Israeli media said Jamal had no record of ‘security offenses’.

According to various reports, the Palestinian approached a guard post outside the settlement around 7am, before opening fire with a pistol. The attack occurred at the rear entrance to the settlement where Palestinian labourers with work permits enter. </s> Four alleged Palestinian terrorists were killed by Israeli forces near the Gaza border fence, the military announced on Saturday.

Israel Defense Forces said the men were armed with grenades and assault rifles and that they had crossed the border from Gaza.

“We just identified a number of terrorists from Gaza approaching Israel, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers & grenades—one of which was thrown,” the force posted on its official Twitter account.

“Once one of the terrorists crossed into Israel, our troops opened fire,” the statement added.

In a second post, the IDF published photographs of guns, ammunition and grenades laid on the ground and said: "These are the weapons possessed by the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza last night."

It added that their objective was "murdering Israelis".

The four dead were Abdulah al-Hamayda, Abdulah al-Ghamri, Abdulah al-Masri and Ahmad al-Odeini, security sources inside the Gaza Strip told Efe.

They were all in their early 20s and members of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, the sources added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the alleged attempt and no official statement has been issued on the matter.

The Israeli military took the bodies of the four Palestinians and confiscated the weapons they were carrying, according to Palestinian sources.

A similar incident that took place 10 days ago left three Israeli soldiers wounded after Hamas militia managed to enter Israel and opened fire at before being shot dead.

The unrest between Gaza and Israel has escalated since Gaza border protests rallies began in March 2018.

Hundreds and sometimes thousands of Palestinians have been taking to the streets every week in front of the fence to call for refugees’ right to return and lifting the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007, when Hamas took charge of the Strip.

Since then, many incidents have taken place in the area, which left at least 307 Palestinians dead as they were shot by Israeli forces during protests and incidents. EFE-EPA
The Israel Defense Forces say they shot dead three Palestinians in two incidents yesterday. The IDF says one was killed trying to breach the Israeli-Gazan border fence while a second was wounded and arrested. They say the second incident saw two men shot dead after bypassing the fence and throwing explosives at IDF soldiers.