JERUSALEM, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli military aircraft attacked three Hamas posts in the Gaza Strip on Friday, following riots by Palestinians near the border security fence.
Some 16,000 Palestinians participated in the weekly demonstrations. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the rioters hurled grenades, firebombs and rocks and lit tires on fire.
According to the statement, IDF troops also spotted two suspects crossing the security fence and returning to the Palestinian area after a short while.
The Palestinians reported that four young men were killed by IDF fire during the demonstrations in the Gaza Strip. Another Palestinian was killed in confrontations with the IDF in the West Bank.
Earlier on Friday, huge fans were placed on the outskirts of the Israeli settlement of Kerem-Shalom, near the Gaza Strip, to divert heavy smoke from the tires set by the Palestinians.
However, residents of Israeli settlements near the fence received text messages to their smartphones, in which they were advised to stay at home and close windows following "a sense of tear gas in the air."
The riots broke out despite an earlier report by the Arabic-language newspaper Al Hayat, published in London, on an understanding reached between the two sides, according to which Israel would ease the closure of the Gaza Strip in exchange of stopping the violence on the border and the launching of burning balloons.
According to the report, Israel has agreed to increase the area of fishing in the Gaza Strip, allow the supply of fuel, increase electricity hours, and allow the continued construction of UN infrastructure projects.
