Israel: Cross-border shelling and airstrikes in Gaza Strip Nov. 30

Event

Cross-border incidents in Israel and the Gaza Strip on Thursday, November 30, have heightened tensions, although no related injuries have been reported. Several mortar shells were reportedly fired at Israeli security forces near the northern Gaza Strip. In response, the Israeli military struck four Hamas positions in Beit Hanun in northern Gaza - employing both tanks and aircrafts. Earlier on Thursday, rocket alarm sirens were sounded near the Gaza border; however, Israeli authorities have confirmed the sirens were a false alarm.

Due to these incidents, trains running between the cities of Ashkelon and Sderot in Israel have been temporarily halted; it is unclear when normal services are expected to resume.

Additionally, on a related note, the implementation of an agreement between Hamas and rival faction Fatah to transfer administrative control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas to the Western-backed Palestinian government has been delayed to December 10 in order to allow for further arrangements to be made.

Context

These incidents come one month after the Israeli military destroyed an underground tunnel linking the Gaza Strip and Israel in late October, allegedly used by the radical militant group Islamic Jihad.

Longstanding political and social tensions between Israelis and Palestinians contribute to frequent security incidents of varying severity. Tensions are particularly acute in the Gaza Strip, which has been under the control of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, and subject to an Israeli-imposed blockade, since June 2007. Humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated over the past decade, including shortages of potable water and regular, widespread power cuts. The coastal enclave is one of the most densely-populated regions of the world, home to over 2 million people.

Advice

Due to the ongoing terrorist threat, travelers in Israel and the Palestinian Territories are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and to remain vigilant when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, etc.). As a reminder, several Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and areas near the Israeli-Lebanese, Israeli-Syrian, and Israeli-Egyptian borders.