A Palestinian girl drew the suspicion of policemen in Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday evening. Upon inspection the policemen discovered a large knife concealed in her belongings.

The 17-year-old resident of east Jerusalem was arrested and taken for questioning.

“The Police and Border Patrol of Jerusalem are on high alert, an alertness which enabled them to recognize unusual behavior and may have even prevent an attack on innocents,” stated the deputy commander of the Old City precinct.

The IDF Spokesperson has officially confirmed that following several cross-border mortar attacks from Gaza, an Israeli Air Force aircraft struck five Hamas targets in the southern Gaza Strip.

“The IDF holds Hamas responsible and accountable for all attacks originating from the Gaza Strip,” stated the IDF spokesman, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner. “The IDF will continue to operate in order to protect the civilians of southern Israel from all terrorist threats above and beneath ground that pose a severe violation of Israel’s sovereignty. Both Israeli and Palestinian civilians benefit from and deserve to live without the constant concern of escalation. We will work in order to maintain and restore the quiet that the people deserve.”

It has been reported by both Israeli and Palestinian sources that the Israeli Air Force has made airstrikes against three targets in Rafah, a city on the southern part of the Gaza strip.

The IDF radio station, Galei Zahal, has reported that officials within the IDF have recently confirmed that “Hamas is most likely behind the firing.”

The report came amid two more barrages of mortar shells fired from southern Gaza into Israeli territory.

“We are on high alert, do not test our patience,” a Hamas spokesperson commented.

The IDF is actively hunting for Hamas tunnels on the border of the Gaza Strip, the military censor has cleared for publication. The area of Nahal Oz, near the northern Gaza border and adjacent to Gaza City, has been declared a “closed military zone.” The IDF force searching for tunnels has reportedly come under mortar fire from Gaza.

The military activity on the border follows a series of mortar attacks from Gaza targetting IDF vehicles over the past 24 hours. In response, the IDF has shelled Hamas outposts inside Gaza.