An Israeli Air Force aircraft opened fire on a Palestinian arson terrorist cell whose members were gearing up to launch an incendiary device over the Israel-Gaza Strip border, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Saturday.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
The strike followed a tense weekend on the Israel-Gaza border, as some 10,000 Palestinians rioted along the security fence on Friday, hurling rocks, firebombs and explosives at the Israeli troops patrolling the border.
The IDF said it foiled several attempts to breach the security fence, stressing that the troops on the ground used crowd control measures and sporadic live fire to ward off the rioters, in keeping with the IDF's rules of engagement.
Military aircraft also struck several terrorist targets in northern Gaza Strip in response to the riots, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said.
The Palestinians Health Ministry said that one protester was killed and 300 others were injured on Friday.
"The reason for the presence of all these masses and rebellious youth here is that they want their right of return, self-determination and to end the siege that has been imposed on them," said a young Palestinian protester.
Over 175 Palestinians have been killed and about 20,000 injured since Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza, launched its border riot campaign on March 30.
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya warned that the "Israeli siege and escalations would definitely increase tensions and outbreaks of violence" in Gaza.
The coastal enclave has been under an Israeli maritime blockade since 2007, when Hamas violently seized control of Gaza in a military coup. Israel and Egypt have also imposed restrictions on land movement between their territories and Gaza, citing the need to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons and terrorists across the borders.
"We will use all means necessary to break the siege, we are determined to remove the illegal borders, stop the Israeli aggression and end the occupation forever," al-Hayya said.
IDF officials told Israel Hayom that given the rising tensions, the military was on alert for potential terrorist attempts to infiltrate Israel through the sea. It was also bracing for possible rocket fire from Gaza on border-adjacent communities.
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rokon warned the Palestinians Friday that unless they resist Hamas' calls for a security escalation, Israel will have no choice but to restrict fishing off the Gaza coast.
The permitted fishing zone, which typically stretches six nautical miles, was recently expanded to nine miles, as part of Israel's efforts to alleviate the economic hardship in Gaza.
In times of heightened security alert or war, the IDF customarily limits Gaza's fishing zone to three nautical miles.
"Let me be perfectly clear: We will not tolerate provocations in our maritime arena," Abu Rokon said on his office's Arabic-language Facebook page. "We will mount a forceful response to any such provocation and if need be, we will cut the fishing zone back to three miles."
"The bigger picture is also clear," he warned further. "The maritime riots Hamas is encouraging you to stage in Gaza could have a serious impact on the livelihood of Gaza's fishermen and the welfare of the residents of the Strip.
"Instead of lending a hand to these blatant provocations, let's maintain the security stability that allows for economic development in Gaza," he urged.
Meanwhile, Palestinian arson terrorism reared its head again over the weekend as 14 fires erupted as a result of incendiary kites and balloons launched over the Gaza border.
A greenhouse in a community in the Eshkol Regional Council was severely damaged after a flaming balloon torched it, reducing over half of it into ash. The other fires caused only minimal damage to several fields.
"We have to put an end to this phenomenon," Eshkol Regional Council head Gadi Yarkoni said.
"We call on the military and political echelon to take action. This situation cannot be allowed to continue," he said.
