JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israel Air Force fired on an armed Palestinian near the border fence in northern Gaza.
The airstrike occurred on Wednesday night, according to the IDF. Palestinian media reported early Thursday morning, citing the Palestinian health ministry, that the 25-year-old man was killed in the attack, which took place in the buffer zone area of the border.
The Israeli military has not said what weapon the man was carrying.
“The IDF will not allow any harm to the security of Israeli civilians and will continue to operate against terrorists who are involved in acts of terror,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Office tweeted.
The Palestinian health ministry also reported Thursday that a Palestinian protester shot during the Gaza border protests on Friday died of his injuries. The death toll from Friday’s attacks stands at 18, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Palestinians are planning to protest again this Friday at the border fence. The demonstrators reportedly have gathered tires to burn in order to obscure themselves from army snipers, and have collected mirrors in order to blind or confuse the sharpshooters.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, sent a letter on Wednesday to the head of the World Health Organization, in which he called for him to speak against the “ecological catastrophe” likely to be caused by burning large numbers of tires.
