Another unusual incident unfolded Sunday in the Gaza Strip, as terrorists were spotted stealing engineering equipment used by Israeli forces for ground drilling—for the second time in just one week—without being eliminated by troops on the ground.
2+Additionally, a terrorist cell spotted during ground operations by Israeli forces beyond the Yellow Line was not eliminated either. The current assessment within the security establishment is that the terrorists are stealing the pipes in order to booby-trap them, then return them rigged with explosives to attack Israeli forces.
Just a week ago, we reported that several Hamas terrorists crossed into the Yellow Zone after being spotted by lookouts, stole engineering equipment, and returned to the Red Zone without any fire being opened on them. Soldiers testified at the time that they identified the terrorists in real time during the act and requested permission to eliminate them, but were denied by senior command.
2+That serious incident revealed the scale of the security failure over the past two weeks, since the political echelon issued explicit orders to halt fire in the Strip—except in cases of clear and immediate life-threatening danger.
Meanwhile, we published alarming data showing that in the past two weeks, more than 65 incidents of crossings into the Yellow Line zone in Gaza were recorded, with no fire opened in any of them. According to security sources, since the order to hold fire, the number of crossings has tripled.
2+A senior security official said in response: “Hamas is testing us, exactly like before October 7, and is preparing a serious terror attack against our forces in the Strip. What happened last night could have ended with a kidnapped soldier, or with the stolen equipment being booby-trapped and ending in disaster.” The IDF claims the incidents did not occur.