(Communicated by the IDF Spokesman)
 
During the past week, Palestinians fired over 70 mortar shells and over 25 Kassam rockets at Israeli communities in the Western Negev and at IDF forces operating in Gaza. Of these, approximately 35 mortar shells and 20 Kassam rockets landed in Israel.

Ground, armored and engineering forces, in coordination with the Air Force, operated against the terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip in order to distance the terror organizations, in particular Hamas, from the security fence, and to prevent rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel.

The IDF carried out aerial and ground attacks during the past week and identified hitting five Palestinian terrorists involved in the firing of rocket and mortar shells at Israel from the southern Gaza. The IDF also identified hitting 15 Palestinian gunmen who were identified operating against IDF forces in the Gaza Strip and near the security fence, six of them in the past 24 hours.

In addition, the IDF carried out attacks against two posts of the Hamas terror organization in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The attacks were carried in response to the continuous mortar shelling of Israeli communities.

The terror organizations, in particular Hamas have made continuous attempts to kill or injure Israeli civilians and IDF forces, especially in the area adjacent to the Gaza security fence. The IDF will continue to operate along the security fence in order to prevent the terror organizations from operating near the fence, and to protect Israeli civilians living in the Western Negev.