JERUSALEM, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military on Thursday threatened Hamas with a tougher response to its another planned Friday demonstration on Israel's border with Gaza.
"We will not let this become a weekly event," Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis, spokesman of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), told reporters at a phone press conference on Thursday afternoon.
"We have no intention to limit our response to the border area alone," he added.
After weeks of violent exchanges between Hamas and the Israeli military, Israel's actions remained largely limited to airstrikes against Hamas military installations.
Last Friday, a violent protest organized by the militant organization on Israel's southern border ended with the death of 16 Palestinians and the injury of over 1,000 others, the Palestinian health ministry reported.
There was a wide international criticism of Israel's alleged excessive force in its military response to these events.
Hamas and the residents of Gaza have reportedly been stockpiling tires in recent days with the intent of torching them on the border during the Friday protest.
According to Manelis, a Hamas militant was apprehended overnight when trying to infiltrate Israel to carry out an attack against its targets.
"We have intelligence suggesting that Hamas plans to carry out terrorist attacks tomorrow," said Manelis.
"They will use the fire from the tires to distract us and we have made necessary preparations for this," he added.
Israel left the Gaza Strip in 2005 by evacuating troops and Jewish settlers, but retains control over its airspace and coastline.
Violence is expected to continue in the run-up to May 15, when Palestinians mark the Nakba Day, the day of their catastrophe, which coincides with Israel's 70th Independence Day.
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced he will move the embassy to the disputed holy city of Jerusalem in mid-May, a decision that has outraged the Palestinians who see East Jerusalem as part of the future capital of the Palestinian state.
