(JTA) – The number of terrorist attacks against Israelis dropped by 75 percent last month over November, but it was also the deadliest month since March with three people killed. The downturn in attacks was mostly due to Hamas inactivity along the border with Gaza, the Israel Security Agency said in its monthly report. In December, the agency documented 155 attacks compared to a two-year high of 645 attacks in November. Last month’s tally was the lowest since March 2018. Hostilities nearly ceased along the border with Gaza, with only 17 such incidents compared to 529 in November. Along with the three fatalities, 14 people were wounded in December. The number of attacks in the West Bank rose by 11 percent to 118 and the number of attacks in Jerusalem doubled, reaching 20.

On Friday, Jan. 18, at least 10,000 demonstrators approached the fence separating Gaza and Israel as part of the weekly protests held there since late March. Some demonstrators began rioting, and Israeli army and Border Police troops used crowd dispersal methods, wounding at least 16, the Israel Broadcasting Corp. reported.