Five Palestinians injured in Gaza border riots as Hamas keeps tensions high

Tensions at the border with the Gaza Strip show no signs of letting up, as five Palestinians were reportedly injured during a riot with hundreds of protesters at the Gaza-Israel border on Sunday evening.

Palestinians were burning tires and setting off multiple explosive devices in an attempt to harm IDF soldiers and destroy the border fence, according to reports from the Israel Defense Forces.

Israeli forces reacted with riot dispersal measures and stated that while a number of Palestinians were hit, no Israeli soldiers were harmed.

Palestinian reports stated that five Palestinian men were injured in the clash.

In recent weeks, tensions on the border have been simmering since the end of August, after the Hamas terror organization declared the renewal of its weekly “return marches” to protest against the blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel and Egypt.

Since then, Palestinians from Gaza and the IDF have clashed numerous times along the border fence.

Last Wednesday, six people were killed and 19 injured following an accidental explosion caused by Hamas-affiliated terrorists who were attempting to detonate an IED at a gate by the border fence.

On Thursday, Israel confiscated shipping containers destined for the Gaza Strip that were found to be transporting hidden material that can be used to build rockets.

Last Friday, amid renewed riots at the border on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the IDF struck a Hamas outpost in the Gaza Strip with a drone, according to foreign reports.

On Saturday, the deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, vowed to “return to the intifada in order to achieve national unity and the settlement of the Palestinian home on national and democratic bases,” before the organization launched a rocket from the Gaza Strip toward the Mediterranean Sea as part of “military preparedness drills.”

In response, Israel postponed the planned opening of the Erez border crossing at the border by one day. The Erez crossing sits between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip and allows workers from Gaza to enter Israel.