WATCH: Hamas fakes injuries, uses children in Gaza border protests
IDF video from Gaza border protests shows supposed casualty stand upright under cover of smoke, multiple children present, ushered by adults to shield them from IDF fire; Hamas 'creating false pretense, misleading international public opinion,' army accuses.
The spokesperson's unit also once again accused Hamas of using mass protests on the Gaza Strip's border as cover for throwing explosive charges and grenades and attempting to infiltrate Israel.
During the violent riots that once again plagued the strip Friday, the army said a Palestinian mob set fire to gas and fuel pipelines and damaged fences and gates on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The property damaged was intended to serve the people of Gaza, the army noted, and was placed there by Israel as well as other countries.
"This violence, which directly impacts the welfare of the people of Gaza," an IDF statement said, "is being led by the Hamas terror group, which tries to create a false pretense to which it drags and endangers its own civilians."
"Hundreds of trucks bearing equipment and goods have gone through the Kerem Shalom crossing every week for years, while gas and fuel were funneled into the strip for the use of its citizenry. By (harming them), Hamas is working against the interests of Gazans and deteriorates their situation for its own ends," the statement concluded.
Border rioters, using slingshots, managed to down two IDF surveillance drones used to monitor activities in the protest—a simple Phantom 3 drone and a more advanced Matrice type drone.
The IDF made clear that the scout UAVs were only used to document the border disturbances and that there was therefore no fear of classified intelligence being gathered from them.
The protesters published documentation of the downing of one of the drones, which was followed by cheers of joy and chants of "Allahu Akbar" (God is the greatest).
A little after 4pm—when the protests began—thick, heavy smoke started to billow in the protest's hotspots as a result of burning tires. In the early afternoon, the IDF warned rioters near the fence against attempting to breach it as some did in last Friday's demonstration.
"We do not want the situation to deteriorate," the IDF told protesters using loudspeakers. "We urge children against approaching the fence and advise adults to keep the children away from the fence and to do so yourselves, because we are ready for any eventuality.
"If you're thinking of doing what you did last Friday, you're making a mistake. We have forces on all nearby mountains, snipers and monitors. You have been warned."
