Four Israeli sailors were injured on Friday night when Islamic Jihad terrorists detonated a boat-bomb off the coast of Gaza. The vessel was apparently on its way to blow up either an Israeli boat or another target in the area when Israeli radar detected it around 10:30 PM. A Dabur patrol craft was dispatched, and its crew attempted to contact the two suspicious figures they saw on board. When no response was forthcoming, the Israeli ship fired warning shots - and the Arab boat then exploded. Four Israelis were hurt and transported to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, where they are listed in "moderate" and "mild" condition. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, and even named the terrorists who were killed in the blast - 19 and 21-year-old residents of PA-controlled Gaza.
Navy officers said that the Dabur crew prevented a terrorist infiltration into Israeli territorial waters. Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz has ordered the closure of the Gaza shore to all vessels in a precautionary security move. Col. Danny Maoz, commander of an Ashkelon naval base, says that Palestinian terrorist organizations have increased efforts to launch attacks from the sea.
In other attacks:
The operator of a military bulldozer and a second soldier sustained light injuries on Friday afternoon in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt by an Arab-placed explosive. They were transported to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva... Last night, two Jews driving between Tzur Hadassah and Beitar Illit, southwest of Jerusalem, were wounded in a firebomb attack. They are listed in light condition in Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem... Arabs fired mortar shells at various targets in Gaza and in the Negev over the weekend, causing no injuries or damage. Several shells landed in the western Negev, Netzarim, and Dugit.
In other war news:
The soldier killed by a Palestinian sniper near Tel Katifa on Friday morning - Sgt.-Maj. Shai Garmay, 30, of Lod - was laid to rest in the military section of the Lod cemetery this afternoon. An unmarried immigrant from Ethiopia, he was shot in the neck while leading an IDF patrol charged with opening a route in western Gaza.
Among those arrested by the IDF over the weekend for involvement in Palestinian terrorism was the father of the Kiryat Menachem bus bombing suicide terrorist. The father, pleased to learn that his son had murdered 11 and wounded close to 50, expressed praise for his actions. IDF forces arrested four PA residents suspected of terrorist activities during the night in the Ramallah, Jenin, and Tul Karem areas.
Fourteen victims of the Jerusalem bus bombing attack remain in Hadassah Hospital - seven in serious condition and seven considered "moderate."
United Nations observer Ian Hook, 50, a British citizen, was killed by gunfire in Jenin on Friday afternoon. IDF forces were the targets of gunfire from inside the UNRWA facility in Jenin at the time of the shooting. A pressured IDF investigation into the incident found that two soldiers saw him holding what they thought was a gun - it later turned out to be a cellular telephone - and they opened fire. Foreign Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Mofaz released statements of regret...
Two terrorist homes were razed over the weekend: Tanzim Fatah terrorist Abdallah Abu Hadid in Bethlehem was razed on Friday night. Abu Hadid was linked to shooting attacks into the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. Also in Bethlehem, IDF forces destroyed the home of a former Fatah Tanzim commander, Riad el-Amud. Currently in Israeli custody, El-Amud is linked to a fatal shooting attack at Rachel's Tomb in 2001, the murder of Lt.-Col. Yehuda Edri on the Tunnels Road in June 2001, the abduction and murder of Avi Boaz ten months ago, and the murder of two Israelis near Nokdim.
Navy officers said that the Dabur crew prevented a terrorist infiltration into Israeli territorial waters. Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz has ordered the closure of the Gaza shore to all vessels in a precautionary security move. Col. Danny Maoz, commander of an Ashkelon naval base, says that Palestinian terrorist organizations have increased efforts to launch attacks from the sea.
In other attacks:
The operator of a military bulldozer and a second soldier sustained light injuries on Friday afternoon in southern Gaza near the border with Egypt by an Arab-placed explosive. They were transported to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva... Last night, two Jews driving between Tzur Hadassah and Beitar Illit, southwest of Jerusalem, were wounded in a firebomb attack. They are listed in light condition in Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem... Arabs fired mortar shells at various targets in Gaza and in the Negev over the weekend, causing no injuries or damage. Several shells landed in the western Negev, Netzarim, and Dugit.
In other war news:
The soldier killed by a Palestinian sniper near Tel Katifa on Friday morning - Sgt.-Maj. Shai Garmay, 30, of Lod - was laid to rest in the military section of the Lod cemetery this afternoon. An unmarried immigrant from Ethiopia, he was shot in the neck while leading an IDF patrol charged with opening a route in western Gaza.
Among those arrested by the IDF over the weekend for involvement in Palestinian terrorism was the father of the Kiryat Menachem bus bombing suicide terrorist. The father, pleased to learn that his son had murdered 11 and wounded close to 50, expressed praise for his actions. IDF forces arrested four PA residents suspected of terrorist activities during the night in the Ramallah, Jenin, and Tul Karem areas.
Fourteen victims of the Jerusalem bus bombing attack remain in Hadassah Hospital - seven in serious condition and seven considered "moderate."
United Nations observer Ian Hook, 50, a British citizen, was killed by gunfire in Jenin on Friday afternoon. IDF forces were the targets of gunfire from inside the UNRWA facility in Jenin at the time of the shooting. A pressured IDF investigation into the incident found that two soldiers saw him holding what they thought was a gun - it later turned out to be a cellular telephone - and they opened fire. Foreign Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Mofaz released statements of regret...
Two terrorist homes were razed over the weekend: Tanzim Fatah terrorist Abdallah Abu Hadid in Bethlehem was razed on Friday night. Abu Hadid was linked to shooting attacks into the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. Also in Bethlehem, IDF forces destroyed the home of a former Fatah Tanzim commander, Riad el-Amud. Currently in Israeli custody, El-Amud is linked to a fatal shooting attack at Rachel's Tomb in 2001, the murder of Lt.-Col. Yehuda Edri on the Tunnels Road in June 2001, the abduction and murder of Avi Boaz ten months ago, and the murder of two Israelis near Nokdim.