JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Palestinians attempting to breach Israel’s border fence with Gaza and infiltrate the country.
The men killed on Sunday afternoon were part of a group of four men planning to enter Israel from Gaza and carry out a terror attack, the IDF said. The soldiers had been monitoring their movements as they approached the fence.
The men were carrying an ax, two bottles of lighter fluid, a lighter, a bolt cutter, an oxygen mask, and a GoPro camera, according to the IDF.
“An attempt to damage security infrastructure, breach Israel’s sovereignty, and carry out an attack was thwarted. The IDF will continue to operate against those who attempt to harm Israel, its civilians, or security infrastructure,” the IDF said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Some 48 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded since protests began along the Gaza border on March 30.
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