Israel sends more troops near Gaza amid tensions

By Xinhua Published: Aug 05, 2022 11:43 AM

Israeli security forces block a road to Sderot in southern Israel near the border with Gaza, on Aug. 4, 2022. Israel on Thursday deployed attack drones over the Gaza Strip and continued to close major roads in the south amid rising tensions with the Palestinians.(Photo: Xinhua)

Israel's military announced Thursday it was sending more troops to the area near Gaza in case there were possible reprisal attacks following the arrest of a senior militant in the West Bank this week.

The Israel Defense 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, armored and combat engineering units as well as special forces units, according to the IDF.

On Thursday 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.

The 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.