Israel hits Hamas checkpost from air after protests on Gaza border

Israel’s army attacked an armed checkpost of the Palestinian group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, following confrontations on the Gaza border on Friday.

The target was hit by an airstrike “during a violent riot that took place adjacent to the security fence in Gaza,” the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday evening.

Several hundred Palestinians had gathered at the border following calls from Hamas. The protesters were expressing solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 12 Palestinians were injured by live ammunition, rubber bullets or tear gas. Among the injured was a Palestinian photojournalist who was hit in the hand by a tear gas canister.

The incident occurred at the beginning of the Jewish new year holiday, Rosh Hashanah, a time when Israel’s security officials are on heightened alert.

Recently, there have been more frequent confrontations on the Israel-Gaza border. On Wednesday, six Palestinians were killed in a rally at the border.

More than 2 million people live in very poor conditions in the Gaza Strip Israel tightened a blockade of the coastal area.