IAF strikes Gaza; 2 reported killed

An Israeli air strike on a vehicle killed two Palestinian men and injured one other in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Palestinian medics said. The IDF confirmed the attack, which was carried out in collaboration with the Shin Bet.

Sources in the army said that the strike targeted two operatives belonging of the Defenders of al-Aqsa, a Hamas offshoot. The men in question were allegedly planning a terror attack against Israel.

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The deceased were identified Anis Mahmoud Abu Alainain and Ashraf Mahmoud Salah, both aged 33.

צילום: רויטרס סגור שליחה לחבר  כתובת דוא''ל של החבר שמך כתובת הדוא''ל שלך נושא  הקלידו את הקוד המוצג תמונה חדשה הסרטון נשלח לחברך סגור הטמעת הסרטון באתר שלך  קוד להטמעה: <object width='408' height='296' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' data='http://mediadownload.ynet.co.il/zeri/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.7.swf'><param name='movie' value='http://mediadownload.ynet.co.il/zeri/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.7.swf'/><param name='flashvars' value='config={&quot;key&quot;:&quot;#&#036;82d88990cf33aa2235a&quot;,&quot;clip&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;rtmp://cp100692.edgefcs.net/ondemand/mp4:hd/0912/1909121219gaza_768Kbps_360p.mp4&quot;,&quot;scaling&quot;:&quot;fit&quot;,&quot;provider&quot;:&quot;rtmp&quot;},&quot;plugins&quot;:{&quot;rtmp&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;http://mediadownload.ynet.co.il/flowplayerlive/flowplayer.rtmp-3.2.3.swf&quot;},&quot;akamai&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;http://mediadownload.ynet.co.il/flowplayerlive/flowplayer.akamai-3.2.0.swf&quot;},&quot;controls&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;http://mediadownload.ynet.co.il/zeri/flowplayer.controls-3.2.5.swf&quot;,&quot;autoHide&quot;:false,&quot;height&quot;:26,&quot;zIndex&quot;:1},&quot;hiro&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;http://mediadownload.ynet.co.il/flowplayerlive/Flowplayer_Hiro_Ynet_2_9_0_15409.swf&quot;,&quot;site_id&quot;:&quot;19&quot;,&quot;flavor&quot;:&quot;YNET&quot;,&quot;AllowRegScreen&quot;:true,&quot;zIndex&quot;:2}},&quot;logo&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;http://mediadownload.ynet.co.il/flowplayerlive/ynetlogo.png&quot;,&quot;top&quot;:15,&quot;left&quot;:15,&quot;fullscreenOnly&quot;:false}}'/><param name='allowfullscreen' value='true'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='cachebusting' value='true'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#000000'/><param name='wmode' value='opaque'/><param name='AllowScriptAccess' value='always'></object>

Aftermath of IAF strike (Video: Reuters)

"Anis intended to carry out a terror attack that was in its final stages of planning, and has now been foiled," the IDF said.

He was also involved in planning other attacks, which included attempts to smuggle bombs into Israel through Egypt.

Vehicle was struck in Rafah (Photo: Reuters)

The second operative, Salah, formerly belonged to the Popular Resistance Committees and had admitted to smuggling two terrorists to Egypt ahead of a planned suicide bombing on Israel. He has also been involved in arms trafficking.

Sources in the defense establishment said that Hamas leaders were familiar with the two terrorists and were aware of their intention to attack Israel. The Islamist government failed to stop them, forcing the IDF to strike Rafah, they said.

Hamas, meanwhile, claimed that the deceased were employees of Gaza's government.

Rafah hospital on Wednesday (Photo: Reuters)

The terrorist group's newspaper Al-Risalah reported that a rocket fired by an IAF aircraft hit a moving vehicle east of Rafah.

Witnesses said that the car, a Toyota four-wheel drive, was entirely destroyed in the attack. The injured man, who was in critical condition, was taken to the Abu Yousef Al Najjar hospital.

Two weeks ago three Palestinian terrorists were killed in an IAF strike while attempting to plant a bomb near Gaza's border fence. Hours earlier, three other operatives who were planning to launch rockets were killed in central Gaza.

Yoav Zitun contributed to the report

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