Four Israelis were killed, another is in very critical condition, and some ten more are wounded, following a suicide terrorist bombing at the Erez Crossing in northern Gaza around 9:30 this morning. The explosion, perpetrated by an Arab mother of two, shook the entire building in which the many thousands of Arab workers from Gaza are checked and cross daily into pre-'67 Israel.
The four victims include two soldiers, one policeman, and one guard.
The blast caused the roof to collapse at the point at which Israeli soldiers and security personnel check the incoming Arabs for explosives and weapons. The murderer approached the soldiers, saying that she had a metal plate implant and could therefore not pass through the regular electronic check post without causing the alarm to go off. The guards then called for a woman soldier to come and check her - but as they did so, the murderer walked forward another meter or two and detonated the explosives on her person, killing the four Israelis.
Brig.-Gen. Gadi Shamni, IDF Commander of the Gaza Formation, said today, "The terrorists take cynical advantage of the State of Israel's humanitarian desire to help out the Arabs of Gaza and allow them to [cross the Green Line] and find work in Israel."
Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz said just yesterday that he is in favor of additional measures to relax restrictions on the PA population. He was addressing representatives of foreign organizations providing aid to PA residents. Following this morning's fatal attack, however, it is clear that the restrictions will be tightened, and a closure on Gaza will be re-imposed.
The two murderous attacks of last night and this morning are only part of a wave of Palestinian terrorism that has engulfed Judea and Samaria in the past day. Only minutes before last night's murder, a similar ambush shooting attack was perpetrated several kilometers away, near Nachaliel; no one was hurt... Earlier in the day, a bus was targeted with a firebomb near Tapuach and a vehicle was hit by terrorist gunfire near Shechem; no one was hurt...
Other attacks include the following: A mortar shell landed in a field of Kibbutz Sa'ad in the Negev today; no one was hurt... IDF soldiers were targeted north of Shechem, near Gadid and Tarmit in southern Gaza, and elsewhere... An armed terrorist was shot dead by IDF troops in southern Gaza... Two mortar shells landed in the Nvei Dekalim area in southern Gush Katif yesterday morning and this morning; no one was hurt... On Monday night, an Arab woman attempted unsuccessfully to stab an Israeli female soldier at the Calandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem. The attacker was taken into custody.
The four victims include two soldiers, one policeman, and one guard.
The blast caused the roof to collapse at the point at which Israeli soldiers and security personnel check the incoming Arabs for explosives and weapons. The murderer approached the soldiers, saying that she had a metal plate implant and could therefore not pass through the regular electronic check post without causing the alarm to go off. The guards then called for a woman soldier to come and check her - but as they did so, the murderer walked forward another meter or two and detonated the explosives on her person, killing the four Israelis.
Brig.-Gen. Gadi Shamni, IDF Commander of the Gaza Formation, said today, "The terrorists take cynical advantage of the State of Israel's humanitarian desire to help out the Arabs of Gaza and allow them to [cross the Green Line] and find work in Israel."
Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz said just yesterday that he is in favor of additional measures to relax restrictions on the PA population. He was addressing representatives of foreign organizations providing aid to PA residents. Following this morning's fatal attack, however, it is clear that the restrictions will be tightened, and a closure on Gaza will be re-imposed.
The two murderous attacks of last night and this morning are only part of a wave of Palestinian terrorism that has engulfed Judea and Samaria in the past day. Only minutes before last night's murder, a similar ambush shooting attack was perpetrated several kilometers away, near Nachaliel; no one was hurt... Earlier in the day, a bus was targeted with a firebomb near Tapuach and a vehicle was hit by terrorist gunfire near Shechem; no one was hurt...
Other attacks include the following: A mortar shell landed in a field of Kibbutz Sa'ad in the Negev today; no one was hurt... IDF soldiers were targeted north of Shechem, near Gadid and Tarmit in southern Gaza, and elsewhere... An armed terrorist was shot dead by IDF troops in southern Gaza... Two mortar shells landed in the Nvei Dekalim area in southern Gush Katif yesterday morning and this morning; no one was hurt... On Monday night, an Arab woman attempted unsuccessfully to stab an Israeli female soldier at the Calandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem. The attacker was taken into custody.