Violence Along the Gaza Strip Border

Overview

• On Saturday, August 21, 2021, Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip carried out their threat to increase tension along the border with Israel and hold riots near the border security fence. It was in spite of the announcement an arrangement had been found to deliver the money from Qatar to needy families in the Gaza Strip, and despite Israel’s announcement of additional measures to ease conditions for Gazan civilians. This time excuse used for a riot was the anniversary of the 1969 attempt to set fire to al-Aqsa mosque.^[1] During the unusually extensive, severe riot, hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces, approaching and trying to climb the border security fence and wall near the Karni Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. They threw rocks and IEDs at IDF forces and burned tires. IDF fighters, who had been deployed at the site, employed riot control measures and according to necessity, sniper fire.
• During the riot a Border Police fighter was critically wounded by a Palestinian terrorist operative who shot him at close range through an aperture in the wall. The Palestinian operatives also made an unsuccessful attempt to yank a weapon out of the hands of an IDF soldier, also through an aperture in the wall. The riots continued for about three hours and ended when the rioters left the site. In response the Israeli Air Force attacked a number of Hamas terrorist targets, and the IDF command raised the alert level in the sector. Following the events Egypt closed the Rafah Crossing, apparently as an indication of its dissatisfaction with Hamas’ refusal to meet its commitment to prevent escalation from the Gaza Strip.
• Hamas rushed to explain that it had not intended for the events to become violent, claiming the riot was the result of the Palestinian public’s anger at the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian terrorist organizations claimed they had prepared a program of post-rally activities which they would announce later, demanding the “siege” be lifted and expressing their commitment to Jerusalem. Reportedly they intended to hold a mass rally east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on August 25, 2021, whose theme would be “The sword of Jerusalem will never waver.”
• On August 23, 2021, incendiary balloons were launched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, causing about ten fires in dry weed fields. So far no decision has apparently been made regarding the renewal of the “return marches.” All the Hamas spokesman asked about return marches avoided giving straight answers.
• In past years the anniversary of the attempt to set fire to al-Aqsa mosque was almost never mentioned by Hamas or the other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. On August 21, 2016 Hamas’ military-terrorist wing marked the day in Rafah with a military-type parade. On August 23, 2019, the weekly return march was dedicated to marking its 50^th anniversary with the theme “At your service, al-Aqsa mosque.” Apparently this year Hamas found it important to mark the event because of its increasing involvement in Jerusalem in general and al-Aqsa mosque in particular, and its attempts to represent itself as defending Jerusalem.

The Rally

• On August 21, 2021, an exceptionally violent riot was held near the border security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, organized by Hamas and the other terrorist organizations. The events began in the afternoon with a mass rally whose official objective was marking the anniversary of the attempt to set fire to al-Aqsa mosque and protesting the [so-called ongoing Israeli] “siege” of the Gaza Strip. Several thousand Gazans attended, including senior Hamas figures such as Khalil al-Haya, deputy chairman of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip. Violence-inciting speeches were given during the rally, whose main themes were that the Gaza Strip would not remain silent in the face of Israel’s [so-called] “economic aggression” and would not surrender to “Israeli blackmail” (Palinfo Twitter account, August 21, 2021).

  

 Right: Hamas security forces direct demonstrators to the location of the rally. Left: Hamas security forces deploy east of Gaza City to secure the event (Facebook page of the Hamas ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, August 21, 2021).

 
Right: Demonstrators stream to the rally east of Gaza City. Left: The speakers’ stage
(Facebook page of the Hamas ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, August 21, 2021).

• When the rally ended several hundred Palestinians approached the border security fence in the northern Gaza Strip near the Karni Crossing. They tried to climb the wall and sabotage it, burned tires, and threw rocks, IEDs and Molotov cocktails at the IDF forces. IDF soldiers who had been deployed in the region employed riot control measures and when necessary sniper fire to control the rioters. A Palestinian terrorist armed with a handgun reached a surveillance aperture in the wall and shot at a Border Police fighter at close range. The fighter was critically wounded and evacuated to a hospital. The Palestinians also attempted, without success, to yank a weapon from the hands of an IDF soldier who stood with his gun pointing through a surveillance aperture. The riots lasted for about three hours until the last of the rioters left (IDF spokesman, August 21, 2021). The shooting of the Border Police fighter was documented by the Palestinian media and the shooter was lauded as a hero. The Palestinians who tried to steal the IDF soldier’s weapon were also photographed.

   
A Hamas operative shoots at a Border Police fighter through an aperture in the border security fence (Safa Facebook page, August 21, 2021).

• According to medical sources in the Gaza Strip, 41 Palestinians were wounded, two of them critically. Twenty-two of them were children. One of the wounded, Issam Shehadeh, was a photographer (Ashraf al-Qidra’s Twitter account, August 21, 2021). Later, Gazan sources quoted by the Israeli media reported that the shooter was detained by the Hamas security forces. Hamas denied all connection to him (Watan24, August 22, 2021).

• Senior figures in the joint operations room of the Palestinian terrorist organizations rushed to inform the Egyptian mediators that the shooting of the Border Police fighter was the action of a lone wolf and had not been premeditated. They claimed it was a result of “popular rage” in the Gaza Strip and that no “military” activity had been planned for the “day of rage.” Plans, they claimed, had been limited to sending Israel the message that avoidance of its commitments and the lifting of the “siege” of the Gaza Strip would lead to the renewal of the “popular activities” which were suspended at the beginning of 2021. However, they said, the continuation of the “siege” could push the Palestinians to carry out unforeseen actions (al-Risalah, al-Quds al-Arabi, August 22, 2021).

Israel’s Response

Attack on Hamas terrorist targets

• In response to the riots in the northern Gaza Strip and the shooting of the Border Police fighter the Israeli Air Force attacked Hamas terrorist targets. The IDF spokesman reported that four Hamas sites for the manufacture of weapons had been attacked (IDF spokesman, August 21, 2021). The IDF also reinforced the forces in the sector (IDF spokesman, August 21, 2021).

   
The sites attacked by the IDF (IDF spokesman, August 21, 2021)

• The Palestinian media reported attacks on a post in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and on a nearby field, on the Sheikh Ajlin post in the southern part of Gaza City and on the Bader post in the western part of the city, and on a Hamas naval police post in the Shati refugee camp, also situated in the western part of the city. According to the Palestinian media, anti-aircraft missiles were fired at the Israeli aircraft. The Palestinians also claimed to have hit the yard of a house in the southern Israeli city of Sderot (Shehab, Dunia al-Watan, Filastin al-Yawm, August 21, 2021).
• In response to Israel’s attacks Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Israel (“the Zionist occupation”) was trying, “as usual,” to attack “resistance” posts in order to cover its failures. He claimed Israel had clearly been mistaken in its assessments, had ignored the messages sent by the Palestinian people and the Palestinian organizations, and had “opened fire on journalists and children [sic].” He added that Gaza would again support al-Aqsa mosque and the holy places and would set fire to all of Israel (Filastin al-Yawm, August 21, 2021).
• Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem claimed Israel was desperately trying to break the will of the Palestinians and its “resistance” by attacking posts in the Gaza Strip. According to Hazem Qassem, it showed the firm stance of the Palestinians had prevented Israel from achieving its objectives (Ma’an, August 22, 2021).

Initial investigation of the events

• In IDF assessment the riot had been planned and organized ahead of time, including the use of guns. According to the IDF, when the riot began Hamas sent its forces into the field between the Sajaiya neighborhood and the border security fence. The number of armed operatives at the posts was doubled and several dozen operatives of the “defenders of the borders” forces, wearing yellow vests, were deployed by Hamas to maintain order during the demonstration.
• The initial investigation showed that rioters tried to seize the soldiers’ weapons two or three times. The Border Police fighter who was wounded and others used their handguns to shoot through the surveillance apertures in an attempt to halt the advance of the rioters. The investigation showed that that terrorist operative who shot the Border Police fighter had hidden his weapon until a few seconds before he took it out and shot three bullets through the aperture where the fighter had aimed his sniper rifle. By hiding the weapon he avoided being identified by the IDF intelligence-gathering forces who had searched from the ground and air.
• In addition, initially the IDF forces used tear gas to try to disperse the rioters, but when the riot escalated and the Palestinians tried to cut through the border security fence, the division commander permitted IDF snipers to shoot at the legs of the leaders of the riot, according to procedure. (Israeli media, August 22, 2021).

The Days Leading Up To the Rally

• On August 17, 2021, the day after a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at the southern Israeli city of Sderot with no response from Israel, Egypt reportedly tried to mediate between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organizations to prevent the situation from deteriorating. The Palestinian organizations threatened to take steps to exert pressure on Israel along the border. They told the Egyptian mediator that the situation in the Gaza Strip had become difficult and they were considering various options, including “marches of rage” along the border. They would also use previous measures, such as launching incendiary balloons, burning tires, activating the night harassment units and sabotaging the border security fence (al-Akhbar, August 17, 2018). In addition, according to reports, the terrorist organizations were discussing a gradual escalation; so far a renewal of the return marches was not under debate (al-Quds, August 18, 2021). Senior Hamas figures, when asked about the renewal of the return marches, avoided giving direct answers.
•   Despite the rocket fire, two days later Israel announced a series of measures intended to improve daily life for the general Gazan population. They included the import and export of goods through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, and the delivery to the Gaza Strip of building materials and other merchandise which had previously been forbidden, such as cement, aluminum, glass and tires. Gazan merchants and businessmen were permitted to enter Israel (al-Munsaq, Twitter account of journalist Hassan Aslih, Safa Facebook page, August 19, 2021).

   
Right: Delivery of cement to the Gaza Strip. Left: Delivery of aluminum and glass to the Gaza Strip (Twitter account of journalist Hassan Aslih, August 19, 2021).

• In the meantime, an agreement was reached and authorized by Israel for the delivery to the Gaza Strip of the money from Qatar. The UN will transfer the funds to a bank in Gaza and from there the needy families will use magnetic cards to withdraw funds, with no Palestinian Authority involvement (Filastin al-Yawm, August 18, 2021).
•  However, despite the measures, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Hamas would not agree to a continuation of the present situation, claiming the measures announced by Israel were insufficient (Islam Times, August 17, 2021). The Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip met and agreed that Saturday, August 21, 2021, would be a “day of rage.” It would be held in the afternoon and include a rally and a march along the Gaza Strip border. They agreed to employ “popular measures” such as launching incendiary balloons, cutting through the fence and activating the night harassment units (Quds, August 18, 2021).

• After Hamas rejected the Egypt request not to hold the September 21 rally, Egypt asked Hamas to control the crowd and keep participants away from the border security fence. Hamas told Egypt they had no intention of confronting the Israeli security forces during the rally. However, any Israeli attack against the crowd would be met with an escalated response from the “resistance.” Hamas alerted the Egyptian mediator to the fact that the current situation made it impossible for Hamas to control the “demonstrators” and there might be a massive explosion at the border (al-Akhbar, August 19, 2021).
• On the eve of the rally, there were a number of reports about differences of opinion among the organizations and a demand was made to change the location of the rally to the center of Gaza City instead of near the border in order to prevent clashes with the Israeli security forces. The reasons given were the measures instituted by Israel and the announcement from Qatar that an agreement had been signed for making the payment. The reports were denied on the grounds they were false (al-Quds, Shehab Twitter account, August 20, 2021). On Saturday morning, a few hours before the rally, the Palestinian terrorist organizations informed Egypt that they would continue to exert pressure on Israel until the money from Qatar had actually entered the Gaza Strip (al-Akhbar, August 21, 2021)
• Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in an interview that the events on Saturday would send the message that the “siege” of the Gaza Strip had to end. He also said that all the events would take place with the full agreement of all the Palestinian organizations (al-Aqsa, August 21, 2021).

Reactions

• For the anniversary of the attempt to set fire to al-Aqsa mosque, Hamas issued an announcement stating it was fully prepared to respond to Israeli and settler aggression against al-Aqsa mosque and the Palestinians who lived in Jerusalem. Al-Aqsa mosque was, according to the announcement, a red line and any damage to it would have a response from the “resistance” (Shehab, August 21, 2021). The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also issued an announcement claiming that the most important achievements of Operation Guardian of the Walls were the unity of the Palestinian people for the sake of Jerusalem and the people who lived there, and the readiness of all the “resistance” elements of the Arab-Muslim world to participate in protecting Jerusalem (Filastin al-Yawm, August 21, 2021).
• The events that took place at the border, especially the wounding of the Border Police fighter by an armed Palestinian terrorist operative, were widely reported by the media. Representatives of the Palestinian terrorist organizations held a press conference the following day where they made it clear they would continue the “popular activities” without hesitation until Israel stopped “harming Jerusalem and the Palestinians,” lifted the “siege” of the Gaza Strip, accepted legal and humanitarian responsibility, and stopped sabotaging the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip and its opening to the world. They also promised the “popular activities” would continue according to plan, and they called on the Palestinian public to arrive en masse and participate in the activities (al-Risalah, August 22, 2021). According to reports, a march of hundreds of Gazans is being considered for August 25, 2021, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip (al-Ayam, August 23, 2021).
• Senior figures in Hamas and the other terrorist organizations expressed satisfaction with the events, threatened Israel and promised more events in the future:
  • Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, gave a speech before the Global Union of Muslim Scholars where he called Jerusalem the focus of the struggle and claimed the rally held in the Gaza Strip marking the anniversary of the attempt to set fire to al-Aqsa mosque “proved” Jerusalem would not “fall” as long as the “resistance” [i.e., the Palestinian terrorist organizations], the Palestinian people and the Arab nation protected it (al-Aqsa, August 22, 2021).
  • Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum claimed the rally held had sent Israel the message that the Palestinians who participated had unanimously declared that Jerusalem, al-Aqsa mosque and the continuing “siege” of the Gaza Strip were red lines. The rally, he claimed, also sent the message to the Palestinian people that they could rely on the Gaza Strip, the “resistance” and its organizations to use every measure at their command to enforce new “equations” and rules of engagement on Israel. He called on all the organizations to join the struggle (al-Aqsa, August 21, 2021).
  • Senior Hamas figure Isma’il Radwan claimed Israel had to bear responsibility for shooting at “innocent [Palestinians],” adding that they had given Israel a sufficient amount of time to lift the “siege” on the Gaza Strip (Dunia al-Watan, August 21, 2021).
  • Popular Resistance Committees spokesman Abu Mujahed said the main message of the rally was that Jerusalem was the capital of “Palestine” and they would not allow Israel to evade the lull understandings or the demands of the Palestinian people. He added that if Israel did not meet their demands it would have to pay the price (Ma’an, August 21, 2021).
  • On the other hand, on August 22, 2021, Egypt closed the Rafah Crossing, implicitly in response to Hamas’ not meeting its commitment to prevent the rally events from escalating.

^[1] On August 21, 1969, a young Australian Christian tried to set fire to al-Aqsa mosque, causing damages. The man, who was emotionally disturbed, was institutionalized by court order and later deported to Australia. ↑

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