'Explosive device' on Gaza border 'provokes' Israeli shelling

Israeli force have responded to an attempted bombing on the Gaza border with shelling which has injured at least one Palestinian.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

17 March, 2018

A spate of IED attacks on the border leads some to fear fully-fledged escalation [Getty]

At least one Palestinian has been injured by Israeli shelling in Gaza, the Palestinian Health Ministry has reported.

The shelling was a response to a bomb planted next to the security fence on the northern border of the enclave, the Israeli military reported on Saturday.

No troops were injured by the explosion, they added.

Israeli forces responded by destroying an alleged Hamas observation post with tanks, it said in a tweet.

This is the fourth time in two weeks that such devices have been exploded on the Gaza border, according to Haaretz.

On Thursday two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were detonated on the border fence as an Israeli military patrol drove by. No injuries were reported but Israel retaliated to the attempted attack by firing at Hamas targets.

The uptick in such incidents has led some to fear a large-scale escalation in conflict between Gaza and Israel.