Israeli military forces made a limited incursion into the Gaza Strip east of Gaza City on Thursday. Eyewitnesses said a number of Israeli tanks entered about 300 meters across the Mantar crossing east of Gaza City, firing intermittently, while others said about two or three tanks crossed at Sufa in southeast Gaza. According to press reports, the Israeli forces entered the Palestinian enclave in order to evacuate to lift an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft which crashed in the Palestinian territory.
Locals said the bulldozers moved towards Shijaiya to recover the reconnaissance aircraft that crashed in farmlands east of the neighborhood. It crashed about 300 meters from the border. The sources said it is believed the cause of the crash relates to a technical glitch during its flight over the Gaza Strip.
