IDF soldier killed in south Gaza operation
IDF Golani, Armored Corps troops enter suburbs of Khan Younis to search for terror infrastructure; soldier identified as Ben Kubany of Hadera killed during heavy exchanges of fire
An IDF soldier was killed during the early hours of Wednesday morning in an operation near Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The soldiers was later identified as Ben Kubany, 20, of Hadera.
An initial investigation revealed that the Golani Brigade soldier was severely wounded by a single bullet during an encounter with a terror cell. He died of his wounds en route to Beer Sheba's Soroka Medical Center.
One of the terrorists was also killed in the fighting, which took place in a built up area. The terrorists apparently opened fire as the IDF soldiers approached.
The IDF force, which includes troops from the Golani's 51st Battalion and the Armored Corps, entered the Khan Younis area to search for terrorist infrastructure and track down wanted terrorists for questioning in Israel. A number of anti-tank missiles were fired at the soldiers during the operation.
The IDF estimated that Palestinian terrorists would put up heavy resistance in the Khan Younis area, and the operation could be accompanied by a large number of incidents.
The operation in Khan Younis is similar to the one carried out by the IDF in recent months throughout Gaza, aimed at preventing terror organizations from launching attacks, primarily in the short-term future and near the electronic fence area.
So far, operations of this type have succeeded in preventing a significant number of Palestinian attacks, and large numbers of Palestinian terrorists have been either wounded or killed.
"What we are doing in Gaza is fighting for the security fence," a military source said Wednesday morning. "Terrorist organizations are trying to harm our control of the fence so that they can use the area to launch attacks within Israel. Our job is to prevent them from reaching this goal, and this is done through daily operations, which are complex, and which also carry an element of risk."
"This operation, like dozens of earlier ones like it, is aimed at preventing attacks against soldiers and civilians. We carry out such operations almost every day, in accordance with estimates of the situation. These operations are highly important," a source in the Southern Command Front said.
"Every operation of this type brings with it resistance from the terrorists – sometimes more significant, sometimes less. We are prepared for that, and so are the forces."
Recently, the IDF said terrorist organizations, especially Hamas, have gained strength, as seen by pinpoint terrorist activities and confrontations which take place throughout IDF operations. The IDF added that terror cells are visibly more organized, improved, and possess a wider range of weapons. One senior officer described the terrorist cells as an organized army.
