Islamic Jihad said one of their terrorists was killed Wednesday when a three-man cell approached the security fence and was met by tank fire at the northern edge of Gaza.
The two other terrorists escaped without injury, and the soldiers were not wounded in the incident. The Islamic Jihad said the cell was on a “mission.”
In a separate incident, foreign media reported that the IDF wounded a Gaza Arab who was looking for building material near the Erez crossing. Military spokespersons said they are investigating the report.
Terrorists in Hamas-controlled Gaza have sharply escalated mortar fire at Israel the past few days. Four shells were fired Wednesday morning, three of them missing their mark and landing in Gaza and the fourth exploding on a kibbutz farm near Sderot.
On Tuesday, five shells were fired, two of them landing in Gaza and three in the western Negev. No injuries or damage was reported in the mortar attacks.
The IDF has carried out a policy since shortly after the end of the Operation Cast Lead in early 2008 to retaliate after every terrorist attack. Gaza-based terrorists have attacked Israel with more than 300 mortar shells and rockets since the end of the ceasefire that ended the counterterrorist campaign.