An Israeli tank patrols near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip. May 29, 2018. Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

JNS.org – As part of the ongoing weekly border protests prompted by Hamas, a Gazan exploded a bomb along the security fence with Israel on Friday and infiltrated past it. He was shot at point-blank range while trying to kill an Israel Defense Forces soldier with a knife.

During the incident, some 20 Arabs rushed through the border and ran towards an Israeli sniper’s nest. Forces fired in the air, and some of the Arabs ran back through to Gaza. When some continued on towards the army position, soldiers fired, killing at least one man.

Seven other Gazans were killed and 252 injured in intense fighting between 15,000 Gazans and the IDF on Friday. The Gazans threw grenades, firebombs, bombs and rocks, and new reports indicate that some were targeted with crossbows.

“Under the cover of smoke and the violent disturbance, several suspects tried to approach an [Israeli] post, but I recognized them and informed the forces over the communications network and they fired warning shots at them,” an army intelligence officer said, in a statement released by the IDF.

“Most of them doubled back, but I noticed that one remained in the area and we lost sight of him,” she said. “We did a reconstruction … in real time, and I told the forces that there was another terrorist [in the field]. One of the fighters spotted him and neutralized him.”

According to the commander of the Paratroopers Brigade who was operational on the scene, the terrorist who was killed was armed with a knife and repeatedly warned to stop before he was shot.

“This is a blatant terror attempt that was thwarted by IDF troops quickly and professionally which prevented a possible terror attack against civilians and IDF troops,” the IDF said Friday, adding that the knife was recovered at the scene.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman responded to the violence by ordering a halt to the transfer of fuel into Gaza.