Israeli Military Kills Four Gazans, Claims ‘Large-Scale Attack’ Thwarted

Hamas distances itself from attackers, wants to keep peace

On Saturday, the Israeli military killed four Palestinians along the Gaza Strip border. The four were armed with AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and bolt cutters. Israel’s military presented it as a “large-scale terror attack.”

It’s not clear what group the four attackers were with. Israeli troops fired at them first, killing all four. One threw a grenade at the troops, but did not manage to wound any of them in the process.

The Israeli military says it holds Hamas fully responsible, saying that Hamas is automatically to blame for “whatever happens in the Gaza Strip.” Hamas, however, is distancing itself from this incident.

Hamas says they believe the attackers acted independently, and transmitted a message by way of Egypt saying they had nothing to do with the attack, and are not interested in further escalation.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.