A photo of the damaged vehicle from the attack on IDF soldiers near the Gaza fence. Photo: Twitter, IDF Spokesperson

JNS.org – For the first time since Operation Protective Edge ended this summer, an IDF jeep was targeted by small arms fire while on patrol along the Gaza Strip security fence, on Thursday. None of the soldiers, who are from the Bedouin reconnaissance battalion, were wounded, but the front windshield was damaged.

The IDF responded by firing a tank shell toward the source of the shooting. No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident was considered to be out of the ordinary, more so since the conclusion of the Gaza war this summer. Since Protective Edge there have been two incidents of rocket fire toward Israel, and on several occasions suspicious movement near the security fence has been spotted, but until now there had been no shooting attacks against IDF patrols.

Meanwhile, a United Nations delegation is expected to visit Gaza next week to investigate Israel’s Gaza war against Hamas. As opposed to the U.N. Human Rights Council investigation headed by Canadian academic William Schabas, with which Israel has refused to cooperate, Israel confirmed last week it would cooperate with next week’s inquiry commission because it has vowed to examine both sides.

According to a report by Channel 2 News Thursday night, the members of the U.N. inquiry team will spend five days in the Gaza Strip.