Palestinian militants killed 13 Israeli reserve soldiers in an ambush in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank Tuesday, the Israeli army said. "An army patrol by reserve soldiers was ambushed during operations in the Jenin refugee camp. The ambush included the use of explosive devices detonated against them and gunfire from nearby rooftops," the army said in a statement. "Thirteen soldiers were killed," it said, adding that seven others had been wounded, one of them critically. The toll was the heaviest single blow to the Israeli army since the start of more than 18 months of Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. The deaths occurred Tuesday morning but were kept under wraps until the families of the soldiers were notified.
13 dead is a blow, but it's not unexpected casualties. The morale effect will probably be greater here than in Israel. |