The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) engaged and killed three militants belonging to Islamic Jihad in Gaza Sunday morning in retaliation for a failed bombing on Israel’s security border fence.
Reuters reports that Israeli officials have confirmed the strike and stated that the militants who were killed were occupying a “military observation post.”
The bomb that was placed along the border fence in Southern Gaza was discovered by IDF soldiers and detonated early Sunday without incident. The IDF released a video of the controlled detonation on their twitter account.
No injuries to IDF soldiers were reported. In response, an IDF tank targeted a military observation post in the southern Gaza Strip a short while ago pic.twitter.com/SREctSfA5l
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) May 27, 2018
The failed bombing and the retaliatory strike came just a few weeks after deadly clashes at the border in which several people were killed while protesting at the Israeli border fence. The border clashes began at the end of March when Palestinians began holding mass protests and demonstrations.(RELATED: Deaths Rising As 17,000 Palestinians Clash With Israeli Military On Gaza Border)
Islamic Jihad is a Palestinian terror group that is separate from Hamas, which, according to Reuters, “has controlled Gaza since 2007 and fought three wars against Israel.”
Israel has been fighting off a multitude of attacks in the region, including kite-borne firebombs and drones. Now Israeli officials believe the next battle in Gaza will come from the sea, and Israeli military forces are currently working to create a “maritime wall” to keep fighters coming from North Gaza out of Israel.