Sgt. Michael Chijik, 21, from Tiberias will be buried in his hometown today, after having been killed in a mortar shell attack in southern Gush Katif yesterday afternoon. Six other soldiers were wounded in the attack, including three in serious condition.
One of two shells fired from the Rafiach area towards the Jewish community of Morag - the southernmost Jewish locality in Gush Katif - landed in an IDF outpost nearby. Shrapnel hit the soldiers, who were standing outside a building.
Changes in regulations have been made to prevent terrorist infiltrations into the outposts in the area, following an incident in which three soldiers were killed last month - but these clearly cannot prevent mortar shells from being fired into the outposts. "Soldiers on active duty are out in the open, and not in protected areas," IDF sources said.
Sgt. Chijik immigrated to Israel from Ukraine several years ago, together with his mother and sister. After being informed of the attack yesterday, they made their way from Tiberias to the hospital in Be'er Sheva, only to find that Michael had died on the operating table.
The army's immediate response was to return fire towards the direction from which the shells were launched, and to uproot trees so as to improve "the line of vision." A more intense response has been promised.
The rate of mortar shells more than doubled this past week, with 38 mortar shells being fired at Gush Katif - including ten yesterday in N'vei Dekalim. Two of them were exploded just this morning, near Gadid and near N'vei Dekalim.
Sgt. Chijik is the second soldier to have been killed in a mortar attack in Gaza. A foreign worker was also killed last year, as was Tiferet Tratner, 24, two months ago. Several children have been seriously wounded; the most recent, Roni Afriati of N'vei Dekalim, was hit in July of this year as he was playing outside with some friends. He still suffers from a large scar on his face (doctors will decide several months from now whether to operate again or not), shrapnel in his shoulder, and persisting fears - but his mother says he has essentially recovered. "We need only deal with his scar and his fears," she told Arutz-7 today.
One of two shells fired from the Rafiach area towards the Jewish community of Morag - the southernmost Jewish locality in Gush Katif - landed in an IDF outpost nearby. Shrapnel hit the soldiers, who were standing outside a building.
Changes in regulations have been made to prevent terrorist infiltrations into the outposts in the area, following an incident in which three soldiers were killed last month - but these clearly cannot prevent mortar shells from being fired into the outposts. "Soldiers on active duty are out in the open, and not in protected areas," IDF sources said.
Sgt. Chijik immigrated to Israel from Ukraine several years ago, together with his mother and sister. After being informed of the attack yesterday, they made their way from Tiberias to the hospital in Be'er Sheva, only to find that Michael had died on the operating table.
The army's immediate response was to return fire towards the direction from which the shells were launched, and to uproot trees so as to improve "the line of vision." A more intense response has been promised.
The rate of mortar shells more than doubled this past week, with 38 mortar shells being fired at Gush Katif - including ten yesterday in N'vei Dekalim. Two of them were exploded just this morning, near Gadid and near N'vei Dekalim.
Sgt. Chijik is the second soldier to have been killed in a mortar attack in Gaza. A foreign worker was also killed last year, as was Tiferet Tratner, 24, two months ago. Several children have been seriously wounded; the most recent, Roni Afriati of N'vei Dekalim, was hit in July of this year as he was playing outside with some friends. He still suffers from a large scar on his face (doctors will decide several months from now whether to operate again or not), shrapnel in his shoulder, and persisting fears - but his mother says he has essentially recovered. "We need only deal with his scar and his fears," she told Arutz-7 today.