The Israel Defense Forces switched to a less deadly sniper rifle to reduce fatalities among Arab rioters.

By World Israel News Staff

On Sunday, Israel’s Kan 11 reported that there has been a significant reduction in the number of deaths during the weekly riots along the Gaza Strip border fence. According to the news outlet, one of the main reasons for the decline is the IDF’s transition to a ‘less deadly’ Ruger-brand rifle.

The news outlet didn’t explain how the rifle was less deadly and the IDF Spokesperson’s Office told World Israel News that it had nothing more to add to the Kan 11 story.

It is possible, however, that the IDF has transitioned to the Ruger Precision Rimfire rifle which is chambered in several small calibers, including a 22LR, 22 WMR or 17 HMR. These calibers are good for shooting small game, such as rabbits and squirrels and are less likely to kill a person.

Since the the less deadly sniper rifle has been put into action, 15 Palestinians have been killed – an average of two killed a month, Kan 11 reports. Whatever the exact rifle the IDF is using, it’s the same one used to suppress disturbances in Judea and Samaria, according to Kan 11.

The “Great March of Return” riots began on March 30, 2018 and have taken place each Friday since with varying degrees of intensity. Along with the riots, Gaza-based terrorists have launched incendiary kites and balloons into Israel burning thousands of acres.

Terrorists also continue to launch missiles at Israel, the last being on the evening of Nov. 29. Israel struck vacant buildings in response.

An uneasy cease-fire exists between Hamas and Israel and the IDF’s decision to switch to a less deadly rifle may be from a desire not to inflame tensions.

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The Hamas call to its people did not condemn what the swastika represents.

By World Israel News Staff 

Hamas issued a statement on Friday in which it said that flying the swastika by Palestinian protesters “is condemned and rejected.”

The statement by Dr. Basem Naim, member of the Hamas International Relations Office, said that flying the swastika should be stopped “even if it is done by one person and does not represent the common sense of the Palestinian people. We have to stop similar acts because our conflict with the Israeli occupation is a freedom struggle against the colonial occupier of Palestine.”

The terror group said “such acts… are exploited by the Israeli occupation to distort our struggle for freedom and independence.”

The Hamas call to its people did not condemn what the swastika represents.

The terror group’s statement was issued after the Israeli military published a photo showing Palestinian flags and the symbol of a swastika next to the Gazan-Israeli border at the weekly Palestinian protest this past Friday.

“The Nazi swastika flag: a symbol of murder and sheer hatred raised yet again at a Hamas riot inside Gaza. In the face of this hatred, IDF soldiers stand alert and determined, ready to defend lsrael today and every single day,” said the IDF statement accompanying the photo.

The weekly Palestinian demonstrations, which regularly turn violent, are part of the “Great March of Return” which Hamas launched in March 2018 on the grounds that it was a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the transfer of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

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