A day before the weekly Hamas-organized protests on the Gaza border, which frequently result in violent clashes between the Palestinians and IDF forces on patrol, were set to begin, the IDF posted a video warning residents of Gaza to keep their distance from the border fence.
The video warning came days after Hamas threatened to "test" Israel this coming Friday, in response to the deaths of four Palestinian protesters during clashes with Israeli troops at the border last week.
The Arabic-language clip was posted to the Facebook page of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Speaking directly to the camera, Col. Iyad Sarhan, COGAT's commander of the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, says, "Residents of Gaza, how do you want to spend your Friday? Do you want to finish it with your families, or in unpleasant incidents at the border fence?"
"The IDF will not tolerate incidents at the fence. We want a Friday without casualties on your side, and that depends solely on you," Sarhan says in the video.
"The IDF will not allow rioters to approach the fence or damage it," he adds. "Any attempt to attack IDF soldiers or attack Israeli sovereignty will be met with a harsh response by IDF forces."
Last Friday, four Palestinian protesters, including a 16-year-old boy, were killed in the violence that erupted during protests along the Gaza border. Over 200 Palestinians were wounded and required medical care at Gaza hospitals, despite the relatively small scale of the prowwww.
The IDF reported that roughly 8,000 Palestinians participated, compared to the tens of thousands that turned up each week when the protests were at their height. Protesters burned tires and threw a homemade bomb toward IDF forces, although the explosive device did not cross the fence.
