Dozens of Israeli armored vehicles have massed at the border with Gaza and a military spokesman ordered Palestinians to evacuate an area close to the frontier with Egypt, witnesses said. The IDF had no immediate comment on the reported deployment.
Witnesses said a military spokesman jammed the frequency of a Palestinian radio station to broadcast a message urging Palestinians to evacuate Rafah's border with Egypt ad that several Israeli naval boats offshore moved closer to the Gaza coast.
Israel, alleging that terrorists have stepped up arms smuggling into Gaza near Rafah, sends in troops periodically to try to find and destroy tunnels beneath the border and underground hideouts.
UPDATE 10/31 @ 16:39: Via TIP: The number of Qassam rockets launched in October, in comparison to September, has increased drastically. According to the IDF, about 15 Qassams landed in Israel during September. In October, 72 Qassam rockets and 12 mortars were launched from Gaza into Israel. Twelve of the Qassams have landed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot.
In the past month, IDF ground troops have unearthed 14 tunnels Palestinians used for smuggling weapons from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. Additional shafts and uncompleted tunnels have been found near the Gaza security fence.