VIDEO - Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip on Monday afternoon reported that a Hamas member was killed and another activist, his relative, was wounded, after an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a group of gunmen.
The killed Palestinian was identified as Rahim Shanbari, 30, a member of Hamas' military wing.
A small force of armored vehicles and bulldozers entered Monday morning into Gaza territory in a bid to perform what the army refers to as specific actions in the area.
Earlier Monday, a small force of armored vehicles and bulldozers entered Gaza territory in a bid to perform what the army refers to as specific actions in the area. During the operation, IDF soldiers spotted two armed Palestinians and fired at them, killing at least one gunman.
IDF enters northern Gaza (Photo: Reuters)
Palestinian sources in the northern Strip reported that IDF soldiers took over several buildings in the town of Beit Hanoun. According to the report, the troops positioned themselves on roofs of houses in the town in a bid to conquer observation posts as part of routine activities in the Strip.
Palestinians in the Strip voiced concern that this action signals the beginning of an IDF ground operation in the Strip, but army sources stressed that the operation was aimed solely at locating tunnels and explosive devices terror groups routinely place near the border fence.
Several tanks, armored personnel carriers and bulldozers left early morning their position in Nizmit and entered Gaza. One of the bulldozers was spotted removing concrete roadblocks from one of the roads.
Going in (Photo: AP)
IDF officials said that there was no intention of carrying out a large-scale invasion into Palestinian territory.
The IDF continues to operate extensively in Gaza, although a ground invasion has been so far postponed. IDF sources say that It is possible a small force will initially enter the Strip, to be later followed by additional units. On Sunday forces of the Golani, Givati, armored corps and engineering corps units continued their deployment north of the Strip.
Suicide attack foiled
Three Palestinians were killed Sunday night by IDF troops operating in the Dahaniya neighborhood of southern Gaza.
Troops identified the gunmen approaching an outpost and opened fire. The army said explosive belts were found strapped to the bodies of two of the gunmen, indicating they had planned to carry out a suicide attack.
The military also said the gunmen belong to Hamas' military wing, the Izz el-Din el-Qassam Brigades.
Golani Brigade Commander Colonel Tamir Yadai said of the thwarted attack “initially two terrorists were spotted 150 meters (490 feet) east of the Dahaniya airport, and soldiers opened fire at them. Another terrorist located nearby was shot at a later stage, and the company commander noticed explosive belts on two of the terrorists.”
Ali Waked contributed to the report
First published: 07:34, 07.03.6