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Photo: Amir Cohen
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Photo: Amir Cohen

Police raid Gaza, arrest 5 Hamas members

In unusual operation in Gaza, special police unit surrounds house containing Hamas members; exchanges of fire ensue, five terrorists arrested. Reservists shoot three suspected terrorists near Gaza security fence; Palestinians say boy critically injured by IDF fire

After two aerial operations Monday night in north and south Gaza, in which homes used to store arms caches were attacked, the IDF carried out a special operation in the Sajaiya neighborhood in north Gaza City, aimed at arresting a number of Hamas members suspected of being behind a planned attack.

 

A special police force entered Gaza and surrounded the home in which the terrorists were hiding. Exchanges of fire ensued, and a number of Palestinian gunmen were injured. There were no injuries among IDF forces.

 

A large number of weapons were found in the house, testifying to the Hamas members' intent to carry out a terror attack in the short or long-term future.

 

Armored Corps and Givati Brigade forces secured the area and the Special Police Unit's operation.

 

The operation is reminiscent in its style of IDF operations in the West Bank, in which the army has acted almost every night to arrest terror suspects, through 'pressure cooking' a house, surrounding it, and attempting to arrest suspects, on the basis of intelligence.

 

With that, the operation in Gaza was more complex, as the IDF doesn't have the freedom of movement there as it does in the West Bank, and therefore the operation was also more dangerous.

 

The operation was therefore placed at the command of an elite IDF force.

 

3 killed near fence

Throughout the night, in IDF operations to neutralize threats and exposing tunnels in Gaza, three anti-tank missiles were fired at an IDF force in south Gaza. There were no injuries or damage reported.

 

Palestinian sources in Khan Younis report that a Palestinian boy was injured in the head from IDF fire from soldiers operating in the area. The boy's condition is critical. 

 

Earlier, a reserves IDF force identified three terrorists equipped with bags near the fence. The three apparently were planning to use equipment for an attack. The reserves force stormed the suspects and killed them.

 

The incident is one of a number in recent days in which terrorists have attempted to reach the electronic border fence in an attempt to carry out an attack against IDF forces and to reach Israeli territory. All attempted attacks have been thwarted.

 

Sources in the Southern Command emphasized that the IDF is continuing in its military operations in Gaza against all terrorists, and added that every time there is intelligence on intentions to carry out an attack, security forces will attempt to thwart it.

 

Since the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit and the killing of two of his comrades near Kerem Shalom, the number of terrorists killed by IDF operations has risen to 200, while hundreds others have been injured.

 

The IDF indicated that it is not planning "on taking its foot off the gas," and will continue to operate in Gaza, in the same way as it did two weeks ago when forces entered deep into Gaza for a number of days. Sources in the Gaza Division said that "the pressure on terror organizations, until the return of Gilad Shalit, will continue with great vigor."

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.22.06, 10:08
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