“Terrorists arrived at the entrance to the city and fired at the guard in his sentry,” the army said in a statement. Emergency services have confirmed that the man in his twenties died from his injuries.
The attackers allegedly escaped in a getaway car. Soldiers have launched a search for the perpetrators. Roads in the area are closed for that reason.
The Hamas terror group, which controls Gaza, has hailed the attack as a “heroic operation to conclude the Islamic month of Ramadan.” In a statement, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem speaks of a retaliation following new clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police around the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. 42 people were injured on Friday, 22 of whom had to be taken to hospital.
Dozens of people have been killed in mutual violence since the end of March. Tensions have run high since the start of Ramadan and there were also disturbances around Easter and Passover. On Tuesday, a Palestinian man was shot dead by the Israeli army during a raid on a refugee camp in the West Bank.