Soldier killed in Gaza clash
IDF ground forces operating in Strip since Wednesday night against terror cells. Group of gunmen approach troops, kills one soldier and wounds two. Meanwhile, Air Force fires at terror cell, Palestinians report two injured
At about 3 am, a Givati Brigade force encountered a group of gunmen at the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The gunmen opened fire at the troops and hurled an explosive device towards them. One of the soldiers was killed in the gunfight.
The IDF reported that the gunmen approached IDF ground forces, which had been operating in the area since late Wednesday night in order to uncover terror infrastructure. Troops were on high alert for hostile activity, given the symbolic date - July 12 – marking the anniversary of last summer's war.
An Israel Air Force strike left at least two Islamic Jihad operatives wounded, during exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen in central Gaza, Thursday morning. Gaza hospital officials confirmed two Palestinian militants were being treated for serious wounds.
The Israeli air strike comes on the heels of recent ground operations against terror infrastructure and smuggling tunnels in Gaza. Last week, Givati infantry forces operated in the northern part of the Strip, uncovering rocket launch sites, including one with a Qassam about to be launched.
Forces discovered timers on some of the rocket launchers, allowing Qassam operators to distance themselves from the launch site prior to an attack.
During concurrent operations in Gaza, troops killed 11 gunmen and detained over a hundred Palestinian suspects for questioning. They also implemented covert operations to address rocket launch sites near Beit Hanoun.
