A sniper from Gaza targeted an IDF patrol near the border with Israel today, seriously injuring an Israeli soldier.
The New York Times reports:
After a routine patrol on the Israeli side of the border came under fire, the Israeli military responded with air and ground forces, in what appeared to be the most serious direct confrontation between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic group that dominates the Palestinian enclave, since fighting ended in late August.
A spokesman for Gaza’s Health Ministry identified the Palestinian who was killed as Tayseer al-Samari, 47. The military wing of Hamas immediately claimed Mr. Samari as one of its own, and it said he was the head of the group’s reconnaissance unit in southern Gaza.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF patrol was protecting workers who were fixing the border fence.
Farmers in the Eshkol Regional Council and Sdot Negev Regional Council were instructed to halt any work within a kilometer of the Gaza border fence. The police later said that as a result of a security incident in the Gaza border area, several roads were closed in the Eshkol Regional Council. It was not immediately clear if the road closures were connected to the exchange of fire or a separate event.
According to the IDF, a solider from the Bedouin Reconnaissance Unit suffered a serious chest wound and was evacuated to the hospital. The IDF disclosed further:
In response, IDF air and ground forces targeted Hamas positions in the immediate vicinity of the attack. Israeli farmers have been ordered to evacuate the area for their personal safety until further notice.
“This attack, the second of this week, is a lethal violation of the relative quiet along the Gaza border and is a blatant breach of Israel’s sovereignty,” said IDF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner. “The IDF will continue to use all necessary means in order to maintain the safety of the citizens of southern Israel and will not hesitate to respond to any attempt to harm IDF soldiers.”
Hamas claimed several others were wounded, though this claim was unconfirmed.
Attacks from Gaza, which is under the control of the terrorist group Hamas, have been increasing lately. Last week, after a rocket from Gaza struck Israel, Israel struck back against Hamas facilities in Gaza.
[Photo: Israel Defense Forces / Flickr ]