Palestinian gunmen on Thursday morning opened fire at an IDF patrol in the Kissufim area, on the Gaza Strip border. The gunmen then took shelter in nearby areas, prompting the IDF to comb the Dir al-Balah area in search of the shooters.
Meanwhile, Hamas'
radio station reported that the group's members fired an antitank missile at IDF aircraft circling the area. The report has not been confirmed by Israeli sources.
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The IDF reported that a gunmen was hit, while Palestinians said that the casualty was a 20-year-old Beit Lahiya resident.
Five Qassam rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel since Thursday morning. All the rockets landed in open areas.
Simultaneously, mortar shells were fired at communities within the Eshkol Regional Council, without causing injuries or damage.
On Wednesday, the national security cabinet instructed
the IDF to present it with a plan for putting a complete end to rocket fire emanating from the Gaza Strip. In the past, IDF incursions into the Palestinian enclave aimed to reduce rocket attacks without totally halting them.
The cabinet ministers instructed the IDF to act against known Qassam rocket launching areas as well as the centers for their manufacture and storage. The officials also approved plans to damage Hamas institutions in Gaza but said that the prime, defense and foreign ministers would have to personally authorize such attacks.
Ali Waked and Shmulik Hadad contributed to this report
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