'Terrorist infiltrated Israel, hid for 2 hours before attack'

A senior IDF officer in the Gaza Division spoke about the incident on Wednesday night in which an IDF officer and two soldiers were lightly wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a terrorist at the Gaza border.

The Southern Brigade and its battalions carried out the mission from the first minute," the officer said. He noted that the terrorist, who has been identified as Hani Abu Salah, had been in Israeli territory for about two hours but the incident was under the control of the IDF the entire time.

A senior IDF official in the Gaza division explained, "A terrorist was spotted about 250 meters from the border and it appeared that he was not armed but this fact didn't change the response. IDF forces rushed to the spot where the terrorist was identified, who realized he had been caught, and an exchange of gunfire began during which an IDF officer and two soldiers were wounded."

The senior official added that there was a fear of bilateral shooting and the terrorist was believed to be inside one of the IDF's positions. "At this stage, another member of the force managed to eliminate the terrorist."

An earlier report stated that the terrorist utilized the batteries the IDF built to deal with Gaza riots.

IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Ronen Manellis said of the incident: "Around two o'clock on Wednesday night, lookouts in the Kissufim area saw a suspect approaching the fence. Action was taken against the approach, routine activity that occurs a lot. The force that arrived came with the perception that it was coming for an infiltration incident. It is unclear at this point whether the force realized there was a possibility that the suspect was armed."

Manelis explained that when the IDF force reached the area, the suspect was already in Israeli territory and a shooting event ensued. "A commander of the unit was moderately wounded from the shooting. Two were wounded lightly, one from shrapnel and the other suffered from buzzing in his eardrum from his own shooting. At this point, troops from the (Golani) battalion reached the area and secured it. Activity to hit the terrorist began, all the while monitored by lookouts. The terrorist was armed with grenades and a Kalashnikov. The mounting forces killed him. At the same time, a tank fired at a Hamas position.”

"The terrorist was wearing a Hamas uniform and also used one of the grenades. The incident ended when he was killed in the battery space along the fence. The first force which included the wounded did not eliminate the terrorist, the second force eliminated him with shots from a light weapon,” he added.

Two IDF fighters who were lightly wounded in the attack were released from Soroka Hospital. The moderately wounded officer is still hospitalized.