Enlarge image

Israeli soldiers stand in the way of settlers

Photo:

Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

During a protest at the Erez border crossing with the Gaza Strip, Israeli demonstrators violently broke through a military checkpoint and entered the sealed-off coastal area.

Israel's military confirmed on request that around 100 protesters had previously gathered at the crossing north of the Gaza Strip.

Several Israeli media outlets previously reported on the incident.

According to media reports, the demonstrators are radical settler activists.

They made it around 500 meters into the Gaza Strip before they were stopped by Israeli soldiers.

According to the army, soldiers monitored people during the incident in the Gaza Strip.

They were eventually taken back to Israeli territory and handed over to the police.

Videos on social media showed protesters carrying boards trying to set up a makeshift settlement on the other side of the border crossing, but still on Israeli territory.

There were harsh exchanges between the activists and soldiers, which prevented them from crossing.

In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip and evacuated more than 20 Israeli settlements.

Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, radical settler activists have once again increasingly called for Israeli repopulation of the Gaza Strip.

kim/dpa