The three military casualties of the early Shabbat morning battle in Gush Katif were buried this afternoon: Maj. Gil Oz, 30, and St.-Sgt. Kobi Nir, 21, both of Kfar Saba, were buried in the Kiryat Sha\'ul and Kfar Saba military cemeteries, respectively, and Corp. Tzachi Grabli, 19, of Holon, was interred in his hometown. The three were killed when two Arabs infiltrated the Marganit outpost, opening fire and throwing grenades in all directions, including at the tents of many sleeping soldiers. Marganit is situated between Bdolach and Atzmonah in southern Gush Katif, near Khan Yunis.
The infiltrators were apparently not detected until they were within 20 meters of the outposts. Seven soldiers were wounded; five are still hospitalized, including one in serious condition. When reinforcements, headed by Maj. Oz, arrived within four minutes and began firing back, they killed both of their enemy attackers: one of them during the battle, and one shortly afterwards while pursuing him in the fields of Bdolach. A third Arab is assumed to have escorted the two before the attack, but returned to PA territory before it began. A preliminary investigation indicated that the terrorists were able to surprise the soldiers by advancing towards the outpost along a hidden wadi (channel). Oz, the deputy commander of the Shaked battalion of the Givati brigade, led his men as they entered the outpost, and Nir, a medic, was killed while trying to rescue him.
An investigative committee, headed by Infantry and Paratroopers Chief Brig.-Gen. Gadi Shamni, has already been appointed. Arutz-7\'s Kobi Finkler reports that questions to be investigated include:
* Why was there no reaction in the outpost after it received a signal that the border fence had been traversed?
* Did the two guards at the front gate act properly? The regulations stipulate that in case of an attempted infiltration, one guard must remain at the gate and shoot at the infiltrators, while the other must apprise the others of the situation and then return to his post. In this case, however, it appears that the second guard did not return to his post, but rather began shooting from somewhere in the middle of the outpost. It is suspected that it was his fire that killed Maj. Oz, as the terrorists had apparently not yet entered the outpost. The families of the fallen soldiers did not allow their sons\' bodies to be autopsied, and IDF medical sources said that we might therefore never know how exactly they were killed.
Southern Command O.C. Maj.-Gen. Doron Almog said, \"I would be very cautious before calling this a mess-up. I would say that the results are not what we would have expected in such conditions.\"
In retaliation, IDF tanks and ground forces destroyed several PA military positions in PA-controlled Rafiach in southern Gaza as well as further north. One soldier was lightly wounded during the offensive. F-15 and F-16 fighter planes also attacked PA terrorist targets early this morning. These included the main police headquarters in Gaza, an intelligence service and police facility in the Dir el-Balah area of Gaza, and police headquarters in Salfit, south of Shechem. Pilots reported accurate hits, and the planes returned safely to their bases. PA officials report several casualties. In addition, an Israeli tank crew shot and killed a terrorist in Gaza this morning.
The mother of one of the slain terrorists in the Gaza attack, Amin Abu Hatab, expressed pride in her son’s actions. President Moshe Katzav visited the wounded in Soroka Hospital in Be\'er Sheva today, as did Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.
Two of Israeli\'s main dailies editorialized today on the incident. Yediot Acharonot says, “The fact that the terrorists succeeded in surprising the Shaked battalion soldiers at the post is an intolerable blunder that must be thoroughly investigated.” Ma’ariv similarly believes, “The result is especially grave because it is liable to encourage Palestinian elements to adopt a new modus operandi since others have not produced results... It apparently attests to Hizbullah’s direct or indirect influence on the Palestinians.” However, Ma\'ariv writes, “the results of yesterday morning’s deadly incident will be impossible to reverse... It is difficult to see the action as a pattern that will frequently repeat itself [because] the Palestinians lack the tools to carry out successful infiltrations and now, without the factors of innovation and surprise, it will be even more difficult.”
The infiltrators were apparently not detected until they were within 20 meters of the outposts. Seven soldiers were wounded; five are still hospitalized, including one in serious condition. When reinforcements, headed by Maj. Oz, arrived within four minutes and began firing back, they killed both of their enemy attackers: one of them during the battle, and one shortly afterwards while pursuing him in the fields of Bdolach. A third Arab is assumed to have escorted the two before the attack, but returned to PA territory before it began. A preliminary investigation indicated that the terrorists were able to surprise the soldiers by advancing towards the outpost along a hidden wadi (channel). Oz, the deputy commander of the Shaked battalion of the Givati brigade, led his men as they entered the outpost, and Nir, a medic, was killed while trying to rescue him.
An investigative committee, headed by Infantry and Paratroopers Chief Brig.-Gen. Gadi Shamni, has already been appointed. Arutz-7\'s Kobi Finkler reports that questions to be investigated include:
* Why was there no reaction in the outpost after it received a signal that the border fence had been traversed?
* Did the two guards at the front gate act properly? The regulations stipulate that in case of an attempted infiltration, one guard must remain at the gate and shoot at the infiltrators, while the other must apprise the others of the situation and then return to his post. In this case, however, it appears that the second guard did not return to his post, but rather began shooting from somewhere in the middle of the outpost. It is suspected that it was his fire that killed Maj. Oz, as the terrorists had apparently not yet entered the outpost. The families of the fallen soldiers did not allow their sons\' bodies to be autopsied, and IDF medical sources said that we might therefore never know how exactly they were killed.
Southern Command O.C. Maj.-Gen. Doron Almog said, \"I would be very cautious before calling this a mess-up. I would say that the results are not what we would have expected in such conditions.\"
In retaliation, IDF tanks and ground forces destroyed several PA military positions in PA-controlled Rafiach in southern Gaza as well as further north. One soldier was lightly wounded during the offensive. F-15 and F-16 fighter planes also attacked PA terrorist targets early this morning. These included the main police headquarters in Gaza, an intelligence service and police facility in the Dir el-Balah area of Gaza, and police headquarters in Salfit, south of Shechem. Pilots reported accurate hits, and the planes returned safely to their bases. PA officials report several casualties. In addition, an Israeli tank crew shot and killed a terrorist in Gaza this morning.
The mother of one of the slain terrorists in the Gaza attack, Amin Abu Hatab, expressed pride in her son’s actions. President Moshe Katzav visited the wounded in Soroka Hospital in Be\'er Sheva today, as did Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.
Two of Israeli\'s main dailies editorialized today on the incident. Yediot Acharonot says, “The fact that the terrorists succeeded in surprising the Shaked battalion soldiers at the post is an intolerable blunder that must be thoroughly investigated.” Ma’ariv similarly believes, “The result is especially grave because it is liable to encourage Palestinian elements to adopt a new modus operandi since others have not produced results... It apparently attests to Hizbullah’s direct or indirect influence on the Palestinians.” However, Ma\'ariv writes, “the results of yesterday morning’s deadly incident will be impossible to reverse... It is difficult to see the action as a pattern that will frequently repeat itself [because] the Palestinians lack the tools to carry out successful infiltrations and now, without the factors of innovation and surprise, it will be even more difficult.”