JERUSALEM, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Israel's army said Sunday that its troops arrested a "Hamas terrorist" after he was found trying to damage a surveillance camera on the fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Early on Sunday morning, a military force near the fence identified the suspect "damaging security infrastructure at the Karni Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip under the cover of the morning fog," a military spokesperson said in a statement.
The troops arrested the suspect and handed him over to security forces for further questioning.
The spokesperson said the incident has followed a call by Hamas, the Islamist organization that runs Gaza.
"This incident is part of Hamas' initiative to carry out its terrorist activities under the cover of civilians and turn the security fence into a combat zone," the statement read.
"The IDF (Israel Defense Force) is determined to carry out its duty in preventing events of this type from happening," it added.
The incident came amidst escalating violence along the Gaza-Israel fence. Since March, the Palestinians have been staging weekly "Great March of Return" towards the fence to protest the crippling 11-year blockade imposed by Israel.
The marches also call for acknowledgment of the Palestinians' "right of return" to the lands that Israel seized in the 1948 war, which led to the establishment of the Jewish State.
Israel has reacted to the rallies with live fire, killing at least 40 people and injuring thousands.
