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Soldiers near Kissufim crossing
Photo: AP

Qassam wounds 5 in western Negev

South heats up as five civilians wounded in Eshkol Regional Council, one soldier moderately wounded by sniper fire near Gaza border. Army officials: 'Fighting in Gaza has not stopped for a moment, even if some days seem calmer'

With truce talks on hold – rocket terror continues. Five people sustained shrapnel wounds after a rocket crashed into a community in the Eshkol Regional Council on Tuesday afternoon. Emergency medical teams evacuated those wounded to the Soroka Hospital in Beersheba for treatment.

 

The rocket landed outside a packing factory in the community, near the residence quarters of the foreign laborers employed there. A Thai worker was lightly-to-moderately wounded and four others, one of them an Israeli, were lightly wounded.

 

Earlier in the day an IDF soldier was moderately wounded near the Kissufim crossing from Palestinian sniper fire during an operation to uncover explosive devices planted along the Gaza border. The soldier was also evacuated to the Soroka Hospital.


Injured evacuated (Photo: Herzl Yosef)

 

A short time earlier on Tuesday a 107 mm Katyusha rocket landed in the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. No injuries were reported and no damage was caused.

 

Military officials noted that while operations along and across the border fence are being carried out under constant threat of gunfire or rocket attacks, they are imperative to maintaining security along the Gaza border.

 

For the past several days IDF ground forces have been operating inside Palestinian territory on a relatively small scale, with their focus mostly given to locating smuggling tunnels, weapons arsenals and detaining residents wanted for questioning.

 

"Fighting in Gaza hasn't stopped for a moment, even if some days seem calmer. The troops are working constantly to thwart terror attacks and they will continue to do just that," the officials said.

 

Hamas announced it was responsible for the Israeli casualty, but said it was the result of a mortar shell its gunmen fired towards Israel.

 

Ali Waked contributed to this report

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.03.08, 10:38
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