Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has decided to delay the replacement of its top commander in charge of the Gaza Strip due to recent flare-ups along the border, local news service Ynet reported Thursday.
Outgoing Gaza Division Commander Brigadier-General Moshe Tamir was originally scheduled to be replaced on Friday, yet the report quoted a military official as saying that Tamir's term has been extended until the situation in the Hamas-ruled area cools down.
Calling the delay an exceptional move, military sources told Ynet that the decision came in light of "the possibility of continued attempts by Hamas and terror elements to disturb stability in the region."
Early Thursday, Gazan militants fired at least five mortar shells and one Qassam rocket at southern Israel, a day after Israeli soldiers shot dead four Hamas members who they said were trying to plant an explosive device near the border fence.
The latest conflict further rattled the five-month-old Egypt-brokered truce between Israel and Gazan militant groups, which has been under increasing strains since early this month when IDF paratroopers killed six Hamas gunmen in an operation inside the Palestinian enclave and Hamas responded with a barrage of rockets.
Both sides had generally honored the ceasefire deal before the recent clashes, which raised new concerns that the increasingly shaky truce might collapse, although Israeli officials have voiced willingness to extend the ceasefire after its initial six-month phase expires.
Source:Xinhua
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