Illustrative. Palestinian demonstrators gather at the Israel-Gaza border fence during a protest in the southern Gaza Strip on August 25, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

i24 News – A Palestinian terrorist faction in the Gaza Strip threatened on Sunday to renew their protests near the Israel-Gaza border, citing hundreds of Jews making pilgrimages to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during Sukkot. The threat was then recanted.

The Gaza Strip, home to some 2.3 million Palestinians, had been rocked by violent protests in the past two weeks. Rioters had resorted to burning tires, throwing rocks and petrol bombs at Israeli troops. During the clashes the Israeli army often launched drone strikes targeting military posts of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip.

“Revolutionary Youth,” the terrorist group behind the riots, called off a rally along the security fence several hours after announcing it.

The call for unrest was made by certain group members who failed to consult with the leadership, the group said on its Telegram channel.

The statement added that the Palestinian group was still “closely monitoring” the “Zionist enemy’s” actions.

Israel has imposed an air, land and sea blockade on Gaza since Hamas wrenched the control of the Palestinian territory from Fatah in 2007.

Last week Israel reopened crossing points with Gaza, allowing thousands of Palestinian workers to get to their jobs in Israel and the West Bank, after nearly two weeks of closure prompted by violent protests.

Around 18,000 Gazans have permits from Israeli authorities to work outside the enclave. The move comes amid stepped-up international efforts by Egypt and the United Nations to defuse tensions and prevent a new round of armed conflict in the coastal territory.