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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| IDF Air and Ground Forces Hit Gaza Terrorists; 1 Soldier Killed |
| 2007-10-18 |
| IDF forces killed at least one Arab terrorist, wounded three more and arrested 15 in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis Tuesday night and Wednesday. During a search for terrorists and tunnels, a terrorist cell fired an anti-tank rocket at a Golani Brigade unit igniting heavy exchanges of gunfire. A sniper's bullet struck 20-year-old Staff Sergeant Ben Kubani of Hadera when he crossed a narrow alleyway during house-to-house searches. He was pronounced dead at Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva. No other Israeli soldiers were injured. Khan Yunis is a hotbed of terrorist activity and a favorite Kassam rocket launching area. It is located near the site of the former Gush Katif capital, N'vei Dekalim, which was destroyed by Ariel Sharon's 2005 Disengagement Plan. In Wednesday's operation in Khan Yunis, the Israel Air Force hit several terrorists who were advancing towards the forces. In several other incidents, Arabs fired mortar shells and anti-tank missiles at IDF soldiers, who fired back and identified hitting them. Upon enlisting in the army, Kubani said he wished to be drafted to Golani. He was turned down, and then refused to leave the recruitment office until his life-long dream to join the brigade would come true. He was placed in jail for a few days, then released from the army altogether. Later, he enlisted again, and this time he was placed in the beloved Golani unit, in which he met his death. Ben is survived by his parents, Rachamim and Margalit, his 27-year-old married sister Sarit, and his 17-year-old brother Ido. Operations similar to the one carried out Tuesday night and Wednesday of late have thwarted a significant number of planned terrorist attacks. Palestinian Authority sources report that the Israeli forces took over several buildings, shaved fields to prevent terrorists from hiding in them, and made several arrests. "We are engaged in a struggle for the border fence," an IDF source told Ynet. "The terrorists are trying to weaken our hold there so that they can carry out attacks against Israel, and our job is to prevent them from doing so. We are engaged in these dangerous activities on a near-daily basis. The terrorists are improving and rearming all the time." The soldier killed today was the sixth killed by Gaza terrorists since Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza more than two years ago, and the second since January 2007. Some 200 Gaza terrorists have been killed by IDF forces this year. Seven Israeli civilians have also been killed by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza since the Disengagement, including three this year. |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #2 à ÈîÅï(amen) |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-10-18 20:52 |
| #1 Yitgadal v'yitkadash sh'mai rabah. Magnified and sanctified is the name of the Lord. (The beginning of the Jewish prayer for the dead.) May the memory of Sergeant Kubani be a blessing and a source of strength for those who knew and loved him. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-10-18 16:21 |