12/04/2004 By BPI.Service and agencies Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed at least two gunmen in the pre-dawn hours Monday as the Palestinians sought to attack the Gaza Strip flashpoint settlement of Netzarim, military sources said. The foiled attack coincided with the last day of the Passover week, observed as a festival day. A third gunmen may have been critically wounded or killed in the incident, military sources said, describing the assault as relatively sophisticated. According to an IDF investigation, eight terrorists were involved in the infiltration attempt, Army Radio reported. Major Shai Shemesh, an army commander in the area, called the operation „complex.” Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, part of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement, claimed joint responsibility for the operation. The three groups have increasingly cooperated in attacks on Israelis. A joint statement issued in Gaza in the name of the three groups said that the intended target of the operation was an IDF headquarters near Netzarim. No soldiers or settlers were injured in the incident. The two gunmen whose bodies were found at the scene were identified as Iyad Taharawi of the military wing of Hamas, and Amad Hassan of the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad. A third gunman from Fatah, who may have been wounded, remains unidentified. Palestinian police said that IDF authorities had received notification that there were three bodies at the scene. At about 5:30 A.M., one of the armed men entered the compound of hothouses north of the settlement. He encountered an ambush of Shimshon Battalion infantry troops, and was shot dead. Soon after, two other gunmen attacked an IDF position west of the settlement with grenades and rifles. The soldiers killed one, and the other fled, apparently wounded.
The attack was accompanied by mortar rounds fired in the direction of the settlement. Netzarim and other Gaza settlements have been frequent targets during the Palestinian uprising. The isolated enclave of Netzarim has been the focus not only of repeated attacks but of the ongoing debate over whether the Gaza enclaves are an asset or a burden to Israel. IDF troops have been on maximal alert status for weeks, fearing retaliation for the March 22 IDF assassination of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Qassams fired at Negev community Early Monday, Palestinian gunners fired two Qassam rockets at a Negev community located near the border with the Strip. There were no injuries or damage reported. Palestinian security sources said Monday that IDF troops operated overnight in the West Bank cities of Jenin and Tul Karm, Israel media reported. According to reports, some 30 armored vehicles entered Jenin. Smaller forces launched an operation in Tul Karm and the reports said troops arrested several Palestinian Authority police officers. Early Sunday morning, troops arresting two wanted militants shot and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank village of Akraba near Nablus. IDF troops surrounded a house where Tanzim militants were staying, and called on them to surrender, Israel Radio reported. When they refused, the troops fired warning shots, military officials said. Mohammed Abu Kaber was shot in the head as he looked out the window from the house that troops had surrounded, neighbors said. The army said Abu Kaber was killed by „warning shots.” The two Tanzim militants – who had a rifle, a pistol and a telescopic sight in their possession – were arrested. One of the militants was Abu Kaber’s brother, the neighbors said. In the Balata refugee camp, next to the West Bank city of Nablus, shots were fired at IDF troops Sunday afternoon, Israel Radio reported. There were no injuries. IDF troops arrested four wanted Palestinians near the West Bank city of Jenin on Sunday, Army Radio reported. Also Sunday, Palestinians fired two Qassam rockets at the western Negev, damaging a road in the area, according to Army Radio. Later in the day, Palestinians fired anti-tank missiles at IDF troops near the Gaza Strip town of Rafah and the Gaza settlement of Gadid, Israeli media said. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents. BPI.
