IDF fires on terror cell on Gaza border, killing 1

Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Air Force attacked a group of Palestinians on the border with Gaza, killing one.

The Israel Defense Forces fired Wednesday on what its spokesman called in a statement a “terrorist cell” that was planting a bomb near the border fence and planned to detonate it when an IDF patrol came by. The IDF said the action was a joint operation with the Shin Bet security service, which gathered intelligence on the imminent attack.

The Palestinian Maan news agency reported that one person was killed and three others injured in the strike.

Israeli farmers in the area reportedly were told by the IDF to avoid the Gaza border fence area following the strike, out of fear of possible retaliatory gunfire.

“IDF forces guarding the border with Gaza face a growing threat from hostile terror groups attempting to destabilize the situation on the ground,” IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said.