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May. 12, 2003
Terrorists kill Givat Ze'ev man on way to work near Ofra
By Margot Dudkevitch
Zion David, 53, of Givat Ze'ev was killed in a terrorist shooting north of Ofra as he drove to work in Har Bracha in Samaria early Sunday morning.
The attack occurred just hours after the general closure imposed on Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip was lifted in the framework of confidence-building measures.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack on the Hizbullah's television station, al-Manar. David, husband to Esther and father of six, was buried in Jerusalem's Har Hamenuhot Cemetery in the afternoon.
The attack occurred while David, who attended morning prayers in Ofra on his way to work, was driving approximately 800 meters north of the community near the villages of Silwad and Ein Yabrud. The terrorists opened fire and he was hit in the head. He then lost control of his vehicle, which overturned and plunged into a ditch on the side of the road.
The gunmen also fired at another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, but no one was wounded.
Soldiers found shell casings from a Kalashnikov rifle on the road and searched the area, but the gunmen had fled.
Pinhas Wallerstein, a resident of Ofra and head of the Binyamin Regional Council, told The Jerusalem Post that just a month ago the army dismantled a position that had been located opposite the site of the attack. He said he had no doubt that the attack was timed to coincide with US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit.
"We are witnessing an escalation in attacks on roads in Judea and Samaria. Jewish residents are perceived legitimate targets," he said.
A group of 20 families, all victims of terror attacks, wrote to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, and Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon on Sunday, calling the decision to open the roads to Palestinian traffic illegal and accusing them of endangering Jewish lives.
"The writing is on the wall inscribed in Jewish blood on all the roads throughout Judea and Samaria...," the letter said.
Shortly afterward, Palestinians in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip fired three Kassam rockets at Sderot. Two landed in an open areas and the other near the Sa'ad junction.
On Friday, five Kassam rockets were fired at the town, wounding a six-year-old girl lightly in the hands.
In the late afternoon, special forces in Jenin arrested Islamic Jihad commander Anis Jiradat, who was involved the deaths of more than 30 people in a series of bombings and shootings. Two of his aides, who were arrested with him, were identified as Muhammad and Iyad Jiradat.
Anis, 23, a resident of Silat a-Hartiyah, headed the Islamic Jihad military infrastructure in the area. In the house where he were captured, soldiers found two guns and three ammunition clips. According to officials, Anis planned and was personally involved in a number of car bombings, including one at the Karkur junction last October, which killed 14 and wounded 28, and one near Megiddo junction last June which killed 17 and wounded 42. Two other car bombs were intercepted by security forces near Moshav Givat Ada in September and near Umm el-Fahm in January.
According to officials, Anis was planning more bombings and was also involved in the manufacture of explosive belts. Muhammad Jiradat assisted him in the planning of the bombing at Karkur junction and the thwarted bombing at Umm el-Fahm. He continued to help plan future attacks.
Iyad Jiradat was involved in the terrorist infiltration of Gadish in January in which Eli Biton, the community's security head, was killed, as well as several failed attacks planned for March.
The IDF Spokesman noted that 768 Israelis, tourists, and foreign workers have been killed and 5,362 wounded in 17,366 attacks from September 29, 2000, to May 11. Of the dead, 532 were civilians and 236 members of the security forces.
According to the IDF Spokesman, 7,521 attacks occurred in the West Bank during that period, 9,153 in the Gaza Strip, and 692 inside Israel.
In Memoriam
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