Hani Abu Salah, the Hamas terrorist who entered Israel from Gaza on Wednesday night, opened fire and wounded an officer and two other soldiers, utilizing the batteries the IDF built to deal with Gaza riots.
IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Ronen Manellis said of the incident: "Around two o'clock at 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.