Five Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza were killed on Friday by Israeli forces in the latest in a string of stabbing attacks that have taken place in both Israeli and Palestinian territories. The attacks are starting to bring widespread fear to local communities.
The recent attacks have been conducted by young Palestinians who have no known links to armed groups. They have been attacking Israeli soldiers and civilians at random, and their strikes have complicated Israeli efforts to keep the violence under control.
The Israeli-Palestinian border has mostly been quiet since the conclusion of the war between Israel and an Islamic militant group known as Hamas last summer.
Representatives from the Israeli military said that nearly 200 Palestinians in Gaza moved towards the border, while they threw rocks and rolled burning tires at stationed troops. Forces allegedly opened fire at the main attackers in order to try and prevent their advancement.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has supported the recent stabbing attacks. He declared the attacks to be an uprising against Israel.
While the attacks were initially confined to east Jerusalem, they have since spread to other cities in Israel.
An attack against a 14 year old boy from Jerusalem took place on Friday by a Palestinian wielding a vegetable peeler. A separate attack took place near the entrance of Kiryat Arba, as a Palestinian was killed by a police officer when he tried to attack the office with a knife.
Meanwhile, in northern Israel, a 29 year old woman of Arabian descent was shot and wounded as she attempted to stab people at a bus station. Another stabbing occurred at the bus station one day prior.
An apparent revenge attack took place shortly after, when an Israeli man stabbed four Arab individuals in Dimona, a city in southern Israel. The man was described as mentally ill, and bystanders quickly acted to aid the Arabs.
Officials have promised that anyone who conducts attacks will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Video footage of these attacks has been displayed on the internet.
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