Tensions along Gaza Border Again Simmering

The escalating confrontations near the border fence separating the Gaza Strip and Israel were once again on display Sunday night, as hundreds of Palestinians converged to lob stones and explosive devices toward Israeli troops. According to the Palestinians, Israel has not held up its part of an understanding reached with Hamas, the terror group in control of Gaza, under which it would allow and assist in infrastructure projects and other essential works in the poverty-stricken area. In response to the violent protests near the fence and the continued launching of incendiary balloons into Israel, Israeli tanks fired rounds into the Gaza Strip throughout the night and into early Monday morning, destroying Hamas outposts. An Egyptian delegation looking to negotiate a cease-fire before the week-long skirmishes get out of hand reportedly arrived in the coastal enclave during the night. On Monday, at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Ramallah in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers shot a 60-year old Palestinian who approached their outpost without heeding their calls to halt, only to discover that he was deaf. He was taken in stable condition to a Jerusalem hospital.