Two armed Palestinian terrorists were killed this morning in a skirmish with IDF soldiers in Jenin, and two more - one from Fatah and one from Islamic Jihad - were killed this afternoon. Two Israeli soldiers were lightly hurt. Large IDF forces entered Jenin last night with two objectives. One was to seek out wanted terrorists - but this goal had not been met by this afternoon.
The second goal of the Israeli military presence in Jenin was to thwart planned terrorist attacks and carbombs emanating from the city. Intelligence warnings of such attacks abound, and the soldiers did manage to find, in eastern Jenin, a car filled with mortar shells, magazines, bullets, a rocket, and other war materiel. A few days ago, terrorist elements managed to dispatch a carbomb carrying more than 300 kilograms of explosives - but it was detected in the Israeli-Arab city Um el-Fahm and safely detonated.
Terrorist attacks in Gaza continued intensely last night and today. Palestinian terrorists attempted to infiltrate two Jewish communities last night - Atzmonah and Rafiach Yam. In both cases, IDF soldiers noticed them in time and shot them. At least two of the would-be murderers were killed, and the others apparently escaped after having been wounded. Mortar shells were fired at the Israelis during the short battle; no one was hurt…
Eyewitnesses said they saw a "miracle" this afternoon when a mortar shell fired at soldiers guarding a Jewish community in central Gush Katif did not explode. Another shell was similarly fired last night; here, too, no one was hurt...
Near Rafiach and the Israeli-Egyptian border, Arabs attacked an IDF force with gunfire and grenades; no one was hurt...
Three terrorists, including a senior aide to top a Hamas leader, blew themselves up in a Gaza building last night while preparing a bomb...