Civil defense and firefighting vehicles donated to the Gaza Strip by Qatar enter the coastal territory from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing, on Dec. 17, 2019. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.

JNS.org – Twenty rescue and firefighting vehicles donated by Qatar were admitted into Gaza in coordination with Israel on Tuesday, according to Gaza officials.

Included in the shipment were multiple SUVs fitted with water pumps, to bolster the region’s emergency vehicle fleet, which had previously consisted of just 33 vehicles, including a single fire truck with a hydraulic platform.

Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Raed al-Dahshan called the acquisition “unprecedented,” noting that no new firefighting equipment had been allowed into Gaza since 2007, when Hamas took control of the region.

Also on Tuesday, the Israeli military said in a statement that Israeli forces had identified and neutralized a Gazan man creeping toward the border fence armed with what appeared to be an assault rifle.