Ten people were killed and some 20 were wounded on Sunday afternoon in a double Palestinian terror attack in the Ashdod port.
Two 18-year-old Hamas terrorists, one of them wearing an IDF uniform, managed to get out of Gaza and into the Ashdod port some 30 kilometers (18 miles) to the north. They blew themselves up several minutes apart around 4:30 PM Sunday afternoon. The first explosion occurred in an office building inside the compound, blowing off a garage roof, while the second terrorist waited outside the fence, apparently planning to blow up when the rescue personnel arrived. For an unexplained reason, however, he did not wait that long, and blew up alongside the perimeter fence. Police surmise that the two may have been on their way to even more sensitive targets within or near the port.
In response, Israel Air Force helicopters attacked terrorist targets in Gaza City late last night. Ten rockets were seen smashing into buildings used to manufacture weapons, though no one was reported hurt. The army and police closed the Erez Crossing in northern Gaza this morning; it is used by Arab workers coming to work from Gaza into pre-1967 Israel. Protection has been stepped up at airports and other sensitive locations.
Some 20 people were wounded in the attack, including one woman in very serious condition. The ten who were killed:
* Pinchas Avraham Zilberman, 46, Tel Aviv
* Moshe Hendler, 29, Rehovot - survived by his wife and six-month-old daughter. The terrorist asked him for a drink of water, and, in his last act, Moshe gave it to him.
* Ophir Damari, 31, Rehovot - survived by wife and two children under two years old
* Avi Suissa, 55, Kiryat Malachi - father of six. A former member of the Kiryat Malachi town council, Mayor Moti Malka said that he met with Suissa a few days ago, and that Suissa said, "I'm willing to volunteer for any public cause - just call me."
* Mazal Marciano, 30, Ashdod - survived by husband and two children
* Maurice Tubol, 30, Ashdod - was about to purchase an apartment of his own. Survived by his mother and three brothers.
* Tzion Dahan, 30, Ashdod - survived by wife and one-year-old daughter
* Dani Asulin, 51, Ashdod - survived by wife, two children, and one grandson. A 30-year veteran of the port, he had just returned from a two-week mechanical equipment course in Germany, and was about to leave for another course in Finland.
* Avi Avraham, 34, Ashdod - married just four months ago.
* Gil Abutbul, 31, Ashdod
Joy and happiness was the order of the day in many Gaza areas after word of the double attack was learned. In Jenin, too, candies were distributed in the streets in celebration of the murder of ten Jews.
Two 18-year-old Hamas terrorists, one of them wearing an IDF uniform, managed to get out of Gaza and into the Ashdod port some 30 kilometers (18 miles) to the north. They blew themselves up several minutes apart around 4:30 PM Sunday afternoon. The first explosion occurred in an office building inside the compound, blowing off a garage roof, while the second terrorist waited outside the fence, apparently planning to blow up when the rescue personnel arrived. For an unexplained reason, however, he did not wait that long, and blew up alongside the perimeter fence. Police surmise that the two may have been on their way to even more sensitive targets within or near the port.
In response, Israel Air Force helicopters attacked terrorist targets in Gaza City late last night. Ten rockets were seen smashing into buildings used to manufacture weapons, though no one was reported hurt. The army and police closed the Erez Crossing in northern Gaza this morning; it is used by Arab workers coming to work from Gaza into pre-1967 Israel. Protection has been stepped up at airports and other sensitive locations.
Some 20 people were wounded in the attack, including one woman in very serious condition. The ten who were killed:
* Pinchas Avraham Zilberman, 46, Tel Aviv
* Moshe Hendler, 29, Rehovot - survived by his wife and six-month-old daughter. The terrorist asked him for a drink of water, and, in his last act, Moshe gave it to him.
* Ophir Damari, 31, Rehovot - survived by wife and two children under two years old
* Avi Suissa, 55, Kiryat Malachi - father of six. A former member of the Kiryat Malachi town council, Mayor Moti Malka said that he met with Suissa a few days ago, and that Suissa said, "I'm willing to volunteer for any public cause - just call me."
* Mazal Marciano, 30, Ashdod - survived by husband and two children
* Maurice Tubol, 30, Ashdod - was about to purchase an apartment of his own. Survived by his mother and three brothers.
* Tzion Dahan, 30, Ashdod - survived by wife and one-year-old daughter
* Dani Asulin, 51, Ashdod - survived by wife, two children, and one grandson. A 30-year veteran of the port, he had just returned from a two-week mechanical equipment course in Germany, and was about to leave for another course in Finland.
* Avi Avraham, 34, Ashdod - married just four months ago.
* Gil Abutbul, 31, Ashdod
Joy and happiness was the order of the day in many Gaza areas after word of the double attack was learned. In Jenin, too, candies were distributed in the streets in celebration of the murder of ten Jews.
