Gunmen detonate car bomb at Gaza cargo crossing

Gaza terror cell attempts to infiltrate border


Hamas claims responsibility for attempt by Palestinian terror cell to infiltrate border. Gunmen detonate car bomb at Gaza cargo crossing, open fire at troops in apparent abduction attempt. Two IDF soldiers moderately wounded, 11 lightly. Hanan Greenberg Latest Update: 04.19.08, 10:10 / Israel News




Two soldiers were moderately wounded and 11 more sustained light wounds early Saturday morning after a Palestinian terror cell detonated a car bomb at the Kerem Shalom goods crossing near the security fence along the border in the southern Gaza Strip.
Exchanges of fire ensued as IDF troops engaged the Palestinian gunmen, who were apparently attempting to infiltrate the crossing under the cover of heavy fog. A second car bomb, which had also been driven into the crossing, failed to detonate.
The bombing constitutes the fifth Palestinian assault on Gaza border crossings since last week.

'Meticulously planned attack'



Military sources said that Saturday's confrontation appears to be a complex attack attempt, which was likely planned some time in advance and involved several terror cells. An initial probe into the incident indicates IDF troops were well deployed and prevented a much larger terror attack from taking place.
The army said that the terror cell infiltrated the cargo terminal with a car rigged with explosives, detonated it and then opened fire at the soldiers manning the crossing in an attempt to breach the Israeli side of the crossing.

"This is a combined attack, meticulously planned and it would appear that its timing, on the eve of Passover, is not accidental. There is an increase in attempts to strike at IDF soldiers on the border and at the border crossings through which we supply humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population," said a military official. The IDF estimates that the gunmen set out to carry out a killing spree at the crossing and then abduct Israeli soldiers.

"This is a far more complex attack than the incident in which Cpl. Gilad Shalit was captured in (June, 2006)," he said.

"The terror organizations are trying to force Israel to stop transferring goods, to exacerbate the difficult situation in the Gaza Strip and then accuse Israel of causing it," he added.

The Kerem Shalom crossing is a vital cargo artery, through which dozens of trucks transporting goods into Gaza pass every day. The crossing is not open on Saturdays and troops from the Bedouin Desert Reconnaissance Unit secure the facility.

The soldiers received emergency medical attention at the scene before being evacuated by helicopter to the Soroka hospital in Beersheba for further treatment. Trauma unit director at Soroka, Dr. Gadi Shaked, told Ynet that the injuries sustained by the soldiers wounded at the Kerem Shalom crossing indicate they were caught in a large blast.


The soldiers suffer from penetrative wounds and burns on various parts of their bodies. One of the soldiers will require surgery but his life is not in jeopardy.



[link to www.ynetnews.com]