The Reality of Border Violence

The Fellowship  |  June 6, 2018

This Friday, Palestinian leadership has already announced that the rioting and violence along Israel’s border with Gaza will continue. And, as the IDF notes, this is violence, and not the peaceful demonstrations that Palestinians claim to be carrying out, all in an attempt to infiltrate Israel and carry out terror attacks:

Since March 30th, thousands of Palestinians have gathered along the Israel-Gaza security fence in order to participate in what they call the “Great Return March.” The reality was anything but great. The violent riots have included flying arson kites to burn Israeli fields, hurling and planting explosives in order to hurt Israelis, and burning tires to create a smokescreen under which the rioters could infiltrate Israel and carry out terror attacks. That was their ultimate goal.

Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), both terrorist organizations based in the Gaza strip, began launching rockets at Israel on May 28 and continue to do so to this day. In less than a week, Gaza-based terrorist organizations launched more than 100 rockets at Israel, endangering the lives of thousands of civilians. One of the rockets hit a kindergarten and another hit a civilian home. Fortunately, no Israelis were killed or injured as a result of the attack.

To top off all of this violence, terrorists in the Gaza Strip continued to rain rockets down on Israel. The IDF had to act in response to the continuous terror and demonstrate that the violence against Israelis would not be tolerated. In this spirit, and in response to continuous terrorism, IAF fighter jets conducted multiple strikes on Hamas-owned terror targets in the Gaza Strip.

“Quiet will be met with quiet, but terror will be met with a firm response” said Head of the International Press and Social Media Branch, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, while visiting the civilian home that was hit by a rocket. The IDF will continue to respond to violence according to the rules of engagement and continues to hold the Hamas terror organization responsible for all violence emanating from the Gaza Strip, above and below ground, in the air, and at sea.