IDF orders road closures near Gaza border amid attack fears

Military says the decision was made after a 'situational assessment' and at this stage, there are no special guidelines for Israeli communities in the area
Yoav Zitun, Matan Tzuri|
The military on Tuesday blocked several sites and roads in Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip border due to fears of an attack from the Palestinian enclave.
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  • The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that "the entrance to the Black Arrow Monument, Givat HaPa'amon, Giv'at Nizmit, the Garden of the Fallen and the Lone Rider Hill are all blocked".
    2 View gallery
    מחסום "חץ שחור" בעוטף עזה
    מחסום "חץ שחור" בעוטף עזה
    An IDF barricade near the Black Arrow memorial
    (Photo: Roee idan)
    The decision was made after a "situational assessment" and at this stage, no special guidelines have been issued for communities near the fence.
    The decision to limit travel in the area was made in the wake of ongoing negotiations with the Hamas terrorist group, and the Israeli government's decision not to abide by the group's demand to allow the Qatari grant to make its way into the enclave in full.
    The military added that the decision stems from a general assessment of the security situation, and not from a concrete warning of a terrorist attack.
    Residents, meanwhile, are allowed to continue operating as usual, including farmers working in agricultural fields near the border fence, mainly due to the heavy IDF presence in the area.
    2 View gallery
    מחסום "גבעת הסוס" מול שדרות
    מחסום "גבעת הסוס" מול שדרות
    The area near Sderot has also been blocked to traffic
    (Photo: Barel Efraim)
    The decision comes a day after rocket alert sirens blared in Sderot and the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, which the military later said was a false alarm.
    The Gaza Strip has remained relatively calm in the five months after the May war between Israel and Hamas.
    This despite the killing of a Palestinian man in September, who was shot by IDF soldiers after he was seen trying to dig near the fence - as well as the riots on the perimeter fence a little over a month ago, in which an IDF soldier was killed by a Hamas militant.
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