Almost a year since the last deadly terror infiltration from the Sinai, a terror cell crossed into Israel Monday morning, killing one Israeli and seriously wounding another.
The
incident took place at around 6 a.m., along a section of the Egyptian
border, located about 30 km. from the Gaza Strip and not far from the
Israeli town of Nitzana. The cell attacked a group of workers involved
in constructing the border fence with light gunfire and at least one
RPG.
One of the workers was killed and another was injured. A
force from the Golani Brigade quickly arrived at the scene, located one
of the terrorists and in a short exchange of fire killed him.
The
IDF later located the body of a second terrorist killed in the clash,
and found him to be in possession of an explosive device.
Tracks were found at the scene indicating that one to two additional terrorists had also crossed into Israel.
The IDF was still searching for the terrorists. As a result,
the IDF has ordered all residents in the area to remain inside their
homes and schools were closed for the time being.
The IDF also
closed all roads in the area including Road 12 which was reopened last
week after it was closed following the attacks last August.
Monday
morning’s attack was the most sophisticated infiltration since the
attack last August along the border which killed eight Israelis. Israel
has claimed that last year’s attack was orchestrated by the Popular
Resistance Committees – a Hamas offshoot based in Gaza – but carried out
by Bedouin from the Sinai.
A senior IDF officer said that
commanders stationed along the border have ruled out the possibility
that a soldier was abducted by the cell but noted that it might have
been the cell’s objective. The focus is currently on preventing
additional attacks particularly inside Israeli towns in the Negev.
OC
Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Tal Russo was on his way to the scene to
oversee the operation and Chief of Staff Lt.- Gen. Benny Gantz was
holding consultations regarding the incident.
Following the
attack, the Negev police sub-district deployed large numbers of forces
throughout the area. Police shut off a section of Route 211, and set up
checkpoints at the junctions of Kamhin and Kadesh Barnea.
The
Monday morning attack came on the heels of an Israeli airstrike against a
rocket manufacturing plant inside Gaza late Sunday night, and after two
Grad-model Katyusha rockets were fired into Israel from the Sinai
Peninsula over the weekend.
A senior defense official said Sunday
that Israel had not yet confirmed the identity of the terror cell that
launched the rockets but said that the IDF was bracing for additional
attacks.
“This is a sensitive time for Egypt and we are prepared
for the possibility that there will be a further escalation from the
Sinai,” a senior defense official said on Sunday.
Nevertheless, a
senior IDF officer said Monday that while there was a general
high-level of alert along the border there was not specific intelligence
about the early-morning infiltration.
Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report