IDF kills armed Palestinian woman

Two armed Palestinians were shot and killed by IDF soldiers Monday after they approached an army post near the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip and opened fire at the force.

The IDF is still looking into the gunmen's identity, but Palestinian sources confirmed to Ynet that one of them was a woman, Asma Abu Fanuna, a resident of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

According to the IDF, the two were spotted moving towards the post holding hands, in an apparent attempt to look like an innocent civilian couple. When they got to a distance of about 50 meters from the soldiers, they began shooting at them.

The soldiers responded with fire, hitting the two terrorists. Searches conducted in the area after the incident revealed that the two were carrying weapons and an explosive device.

"This is another attempt to carry out a terror attack near the border fence," said a military official. "The terrorists have been trying to launch such attacks, including attempts to infiltrate Israel, ever since the disengagement. They will stop at nothing, including using women and minors, in order to test the soldiers' alertness."

Rise in women's involvement in terror

According to Shin Bet statistics, there has been a significant rise in Palestinian women's involvement in terror since September 2000. During this period, women have been involved in over 100 terror activities against Israeli targets, including 10 women who carried out suicide bombings that claimed the lives of 37 Israeli civilians and injured 303.

Security officials explained that in most cases, women were used by terrorists as cover, since they arouse less suspicion.

The Shin Bet's analysis indicated that most women related to terror actions were single and in their twenties. About a third were academics and their motives were usually personal – including romantic ties with terror operatives, as well as personal difficulties or suicidal tendencies.

Ali Waked contributed to the report