Palestinians carrying knives, grenade arrested after crossing Gaza border

A group of Palestinians was arrested carrying weapons when the men tried to cross into Israel from Gaza.

By: TPS and World Israel News Staff

Four Palestinians were apprehended early Thursday evening as they attempted to cross the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel. An IDF spokesperson said one one of the infiltrators was carrying two knives and a hand grenade.

According to reports, the suspects were observed by IDF spotters as they approached the border fence and were apprehended immediately after crossing over into Israel. The suspects were taken for questioning and the IDF is looking into whether they planned to carry out a terrorist attack.

Weapons such as the ones discovered by the police Thursday night can enter Gaza through smuggling operations. Israel’s Crossings Authority thwarted 1,226 attempts to smuggle contraband into Gaza in 2016, representing a 165% increase from 2015.

Since Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, smuggling attempts have continued to rise each year. Examples of items seized during smuggling operations include drones, security cameras, dual-use fiberglass employed in terror-tunnel building, and rocket-building materials.

GazaPalestinian terrorSmuggling