Israeli troops near the Israel-Gaza Strip border arrested three armed suspects who infiltrated Israeli territory on Tuesday morning, the IDF said in a statement.
According to available details, the military and the Border Police launched an extensive manhunt in the area after a routine patrol discovered footprints near the border fence.
The three were found, carrying knives and hand grenades, near the Tzeelim army base in southern Israel about an hour into the search.
They were handed over to the Shin Bet security agency for questioning.
During the search, the IDF set up checkpoints on roads, using spike strips and searching cars. An aerial search team assisted.
Residents of the nearby Eshkol Regional Council were placed on alert and told to remain indoors. The restriction was lifted just before noon.
"During routine operations, security forces patrolling near the border fence detected footprints near the fence in the southern Gaza Strip. Security forces are canvassing the area," the IDF said in an initial statement before the suspects were found.
It then issued a further statement confirming that three suspects were in custody and the area's residents could resume their daily routines.
"The incident is being investigated," the IDF said.
A defense official described the incident as "very serious."
It comes on the heels of a border infiltration on Saturday, when four Palestinians breached the fence and vandalized military equipment. The four ran back into Gaza when an IDF patrol approached them.
Both incidents come against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the southern sector. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is planning a mass protest march on the border on Friday, when the Palestinian mark Land Day in commemoration of a 1976 incident in which Israeli forces killed six unarmed Arab citizens and wounded about a hundred amid violent riots.
Israeli security forces are bracing for potential violence near the border Friday. Additional troops, including special forces and snipers, have been deployed to the area, and physical obstacles, such as coiled barbed wire and heavy machinery, have been set up near the fence.
