JERUSALEM, Aug 5 (NNN-PNA) – Israel’s military announced yesterday, it was sending more troops to the area near the Gaza Strip, in case there were possible reprisal attacks, following the arrest of a senior militant in the West Bank this week.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement that, after evaluating the situation in the region, it decided to add extra soldiers to its Gaza division, to “improve the IDF’s readiness in the area.”
The reinforcement includes artillery, infantry, armoured and combat engineering units, as well as, special forces units, according to the IDF.
Yesterday morning, local authorities in Israel blocked roads, and the Israeli army closed the Erez Crossing, the main passage between Israel and Gaza, for the third consecutive day.
Tensions were sparked by an Israeli raid in the flashpoint Palestinian city of Jenin, in the northern West Bank overnight, between Monday and Tuesday, during which a 17-year-old Palestinian boy was killed, and members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, including the group’s senior figure, Bassem al-Saadi, were arrested.– NNN-PNA
