The protest Wednesday came after a video that showed men who identified themselves as Hamas gunmen firing automatic weapons at Bat Hefer from the neighboring Palestinian city of Tulkarem. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the shooting was carried out by Hamas operatives.
A similar shooting incident occurred on Monday. On that day, about 30 Palestinian men also crossed over the security barrier, of whom at least 19 were captured and detained.
The incidents briefly brought media attention to Bat Hefer and the region, which have been the focus of a campaign of intimidation by gunmen from Palestinian cities that began on October 7 but has been largely eclipsed by the fighting in Gaza and the north that broke out on that date.
In the intimidation campaign against the Hefer Velley Regional Council — a mere 30 kilometers (19 miles) northeast of Tel Aviv — Palestinians have been firing guns and rifles mostly indiscriminately in the direction of Israeli communities. Some houses have been hit by bullets in recent months — including one in Kibbutz Yad Hannah near Bat Hefer on Wednesday. But the terrorists do not appear to be attempting the targeted sniping that had killed Israelis during the Second Intifada. READ MORE
