Israelis from the Gaza border region blocked trucks laden with goods and fuel for Gaza with their bodies on Sunday morning in protest of the government’s decision to allow the products into the region, despite ongoing riots on the border and the Friday infiltration of a man who set fire to a greenhouse.
Israel’s Channel 10 news reported heavy traffic near the Kerem Shalom Crossing on Sunday morning.
Army officials said the infiltrator was spotted even prior to breaching the border and tracked throughout the incident. “Following the identification, large military forces were rushed to the area and operated in cooperation with civilian security forces,” the army said. The forces surrounded the area where the suspect was identified.”
However, residents expressed outrage, claiming that the terrorist reached just meters from Israeli homes before being caught.
Since March, Israel has tightened control of its side of the Gaza border—Gaza also shares a border with Egypt—due to violent riots involving tens of thousands of Gazans on a weekly, and sometimes, daily basis since March 30.
International pressure has been imposed on Israel to relax the entryway to more goods, due to what they call an ongoing “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza.
Israeli officials have argued that Hamas is responsible for Israeli stringencies because of its continued facilitation and encouragement of terror attacks and riots, and further argue that Hamas siphons money meant for infrastructure and basic needs to use for military purposes against Israel.