IDF official warns Hamas: Israel will 'not hesitate to use force'
GOC Southern Command Zamir says, 'We will not abide by reality of using land around the fence for terrorism. Anyone seeking to undermine Israel's security will be met with a determined response'; army nevertheless fears Hamas may continue to use cover of demonstrations near fence to carry out attacks.
GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir threatened Hamas Sunday in the wake of the detonation of an explosive device near the Gaza border the day before, as a result of which four IDF soldiers were wounded—two seriously and two moderately.
"Harming IDF soldiers constitutes a grave terror (attack)," Zamir said at a military ceremony. "We will not abide by this reality of using the land around the fence for terrorism."
"Anyone seeking to undermine Israel's security will be met with a determined response. We have considerable power and will not hesitate to exercise it as needed, despite our desire to maintain stability and avoid escalation," the senior IDF officer added at the ceremony, taking place in the Tze'elim base.
Zamir then reiterated the army's longstanding position of holding Hamas accountable for anything transpiring within Gaza "above and below ground, (Hamas) is responsible for the lives of Gaza's people."
"This is further proof of the utilization of disturbances near the fence by Hamas and other terror groups as cover for terrorism. Anyone seeking to undermine Israel's security will meet a determined response based on intelligence and aerial, land and naval capabilities," he warned.
The explosive device was affixed to a Palestinian flag and appeared to have been placed near the fence under the cover of Friday's demonstrations nearby. Golani and Combat Engineering forces were inspecting several suspicions locations in the vicinity when the explosion occurred.
An initial inquiry into the incident found that trackers scoured the area, after which Combat Engineering soldiers approached the flag, under cover of the Golani soldiers, at which point the device was set off.
Among those wounded are a Combat Engineering officer who was seriously wounded and a company commander from Golani's 13th Battalion who was lightly wounded.
Prof. Motti Klein, director of the Soroka University Medical Center in Be'er Sheva's intensive care unit, said Sunday afternoon that, "Three casualties from yesterday's blast are currently hospitalized—two in the intensive care unit and one in the surgery ward."
"Their injuries are difficult wounds suffered to the limbs and eyes. After undergoing surgeries, their lives are not in danger. However, they will remain in the intensive care unit for further treatment and supervision," Prof. Klein added.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Hamas terror targets were hit in Gaza, including a terror tunnel running into Israel from the Zaytun neighborhood of Gaza, a military complex on the former grounds of the evacuated Netzarim settlement "belonging to Hamas's unique military alignments, including weapons manufacturing sites." A Hamas military complex near Khan Yunis was also attacked.
Later Saturday, A group of at least four Palestinians attempted to infiltrate the Israeli communities south of Gaza through Rafah. IDF forces picked up on the attempt and opened fire on the infiltrators using tanks and other means.
Palestinian reports said two Palestinians were wounded by tank fire and were taken to a hospital. Hamas also published photos of the area hit in Zaytun, failing to mention the attack targeted a tunnel.
The IDF's inquiry into the incident continued Sunday, and it remained possible the force inspecting the device may be found to be at fault. It will be inspected, among other things, whether the soldiers' protocol was properly executed.
Soldiers from the Combat Engineering Corps' elite bomb disposal unit regularly operate in the Gaza Division's territory. The special force possesses several options for handling a suspicious scene, first and foremost among those options is isolating and freezing it before contact is made with the suspicious object.
In the past, scenes were isolated for days while remotely controlled by observation, intelligence surveillance and investigating the entire scene before disarming charges.
When handling a suspicious device, even without prior intelligence alerting to its presence, the special force may send a bomb-sniffing dog or a robot to neutralize the device without putting soldiers' lives in peril. Another option has to do with detonating the charge by having snipers fire at it.
The IDF stressed that the soldiers apparently approached the scenes protected by helmets and vests, thereby preventing a much graver outcome.
A tour Ynet reporters took near the border fence in the region of the explosion Sunday afternoon showed how much the entire sector was exposed to control, observation and—if necessary—fire from Gaza.
Palestinians' homes in nearby Deir al-Balah and al-Karara overlook the spot in which the device was placed from mere hundreds of meters away.
A tall earth battery exists between the fence and the main route taken by IDF forces near the border, but works on either the fence itself to the underground barrier wall, west of said battery, leave soldiers and construction employees alike exposed to the other side.
Military traffic in the region Sunday was nearly non-existent, but forces were active in surveilling the sector.
Estimates say Hamas's demonstrations near the fence will continue on future Fridays, and fear the terror group will continue using protesters as cover to insert or use armaments persists.
To counter that eventuality, protocol was emphasized to soldiers stationed in the region and it was made clear that the perimeter strip—several hundred meters west of the fence bearing towards Gaza—should be kept free of Palestinians.
