An IDF soldier seriously injured in the Gaza Strip on Sunday has regained consciousness and his condition is now defined as moderate, the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba reported Monday.
The soldier was hit by a Palestinian sniper during an infantry and combat engineering forces' operation in southern Gaza, between Rafah and the Kerem Shalom crossing. He was evacuated to hospital by helicopter.
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| IDF soldier gravely injured from sniper fire in Gaza / Hanan Greenberg |
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Soldier injured by sniper fire near Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Gaza, gunman shot dead. Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, claim responsibility for the incident |
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The Soroka Medical Center reported that the soldier was still hospitalized in the intensive care unit. He was suffering from gunshot injuries in his shoulder and chest.
Abu Mujhid, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, told Ynet the shooter was a senior member of his organization who was subsequently killed in clashes with the IDF.
Mujhid said that Abdul Salam Abu Suseen, a commander of the Brigades in eastern Rafah, was the sniper responsible for the attack. Suseen and two other gunmen were later killed by gunfire from IAF warplanes.
IDF troops entered southern Gaza early Sunday morning and encountered a number of armed militants during the operation. The Air Force, which was providing air support during the incursion, launched several attacks on hostile forces in the area.
"We're continuing to operate in different areas in the Strip according to our estimations of the situation," a military official told Ynet.
"The whole area near the security fence and outskirts of the cities and townships in the Strip just like areas from where Qassam (rockets) are fired – these are areas in which we will operate at all times in order to thwart planned attacks."
In recent weeks, besides aerial attacks, IDF troops have been entering Gaza on a daily basis. Senior political and military officials estimate that every day that goes by brings Israel
closer to a broad military campaign against terrorist infrastructure and Qassam rocket manufacturing plants in the Palestinian enclave.
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