Tensions still running high in southern Israeli cities as residents fear terrorists remain

Israeli security forces are still on high alert in communities near the border with the Gaza Strip.

I was in the southern city of Ofakim on Monday to report on a miraculous police operation that freed two Israeli hostages after a 20-hour standoff. We were interrupted by police suspecting an infiltration of the city by a Palestinian terrorist, or the appearance of a terrorist who had remained in the area following the October 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel. 

🚨 Police are taking no chances

Israeli forces are on extreme edge in towns across the Gaza border, nine days after the barbaric terrorist attack where Hamas hunted and butchered 1,400 innocent people on these same streets.

Go to https://t.co/raxd1KkxQK for the latest from the… pic.twitter.com/bLlqFqrYD0

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) October 16, 2023

Police quickly moved through the streets, scanning the area for intruders while we were told to go inside. The houses of Ofakim are still devastated and covered in blood from the attacks of October 7, when at least 10 terrorists entered the city and moved through private homes, murdering civilians. 

While the city was officially back under Israeli control by the following day, fears of infiltration remained. Rumours of remaining Hamas terrorists would spread throughout the city prompting many to hide in their homes.