IAF strikes in south Gaza; 2 jihadists hurt

Army says global jihad terrorists severely injured when Israeli aircraft strikes motorcycle were planning holiday terror attack

Yoav Zitun, Elior Levy|Last update: 10.07.12 , 19:12

Ten people were injured, two of them severely, when Israeli aircraft attacked two motorcyclists in south Gaza, a spokesperson for the Hamas-run government's health ministry said Sunday evening.

IDF officials said the attack, carried out in cooperation with the Shin Bet security service, targeted two global jihadists who were planning to carry out a major terror attack over the Simchat Torah holiday against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The army's Spokeoperson's Unit identified the men as Tla'ath Halil Muhammad Jerbi (23), a global jihad operative from Rafah; and Abdullah Mohamed Hassan Maqawi (24), a member of the The Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) in the Environs of Jerusalem, a global jihad group that is based in Gaza.

The army said Jerbi has been involved in extensive terrorist activity against Israel for years, and over the past few days was involved in the preparation of a terror attack in Sinai.

According to the army, Jerbi was also involved in the planting of bombs and the manufacturing of weapons in Gaza. Jerbi, the IDF said, was also a key figure in the planning and execution of the June terror attack on the Israel-Egypt border in which Haifa resident Said Phashpashe was killed while working on the southern border fence.

Last month two Palestinians were killed and another was severely wounded when Israeli aircraft attacked vehicles in Gaza. The army said the attack targeted operatives belonging to the Defenders of al-Aqsa organization, a Hamas offshoot.

They said the men planned to carry out a terror attack in Israel.

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

Earlier in September, the Israeli Air Force killed three terrorists who were preparing to launch rockets from central Gaza. Another terrorist was seriously hurt in the attack. The army said the terror cell was involved in the launching of rockets toward communities in south Israel.

In August a terrorist who planned to carry out an attack along the Israel-Egypt border was killed by an Israeli aircraft in south Gaza. Another terrorist was injured. The two Popular Resistance Committees operatives were struck while riding a motorcycle in the Tel Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah.