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June 9, 2003
Five soldiers killed in Gaza, Hebron. Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad claim joint attack
By Margot Dudkevitch
Five soldiers were killed and four reservists and a border policeman were wounded in three terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sunday, as Palestinian terrorist organizations vowed to continue their armed resistance.
The attacks occurred despite a general closure imposed on Judea and Samaria at midnight Saturday due to the increasing number of terrorist warnings.
Sgt.-Maj. Boaz Emet, 23, of Beit She'an and reservists Sgt.-Maj. Assaf Abergil, 23, Sgt.-Maj. Udi Eilat, 37, both of Eilat, and Sgt.-Maj. Chen Angel, 31, of Ramat Gan, were killed and four reservists wounded when three terrorists wearing IDF uniforms and armed with Kalashnikov rifles and grenades infiltrated their post next to the Erez industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip early Sunday morning.
In a rare step Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas claimed joint responsibility for the attack.
The wounded were taken to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. The condition of one was described as satisfactory and the others as good.
Emet and Abergil were buried on Sunday in their hometowns; Angel will be buried in the military section of the Ness Ziona cemetery at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, and Eilat in the military section in Eilat's cemetery at 5 p.m..
Close to 5:15 a.m., taking advantage of a heavy fog, the three terrorists mingled among the thousands of laborers queuing up at the Erez border crossing to enter Israel, then at some point split from the crowd, climbed over a fence between a PA position and an IDF post. The fog prevented them from being spotted. They went behind the industrial site and attacked the IDF post from the rear, killing Emet and two soldiers guarding the entrance gate.
The terrorists then split up, one entering through the gate and the other two cutting through a second fence around the post. They then opened fire from two different directions.
'They hid among the workers waiting to pass through the crossing and at some point veered away from the group and headed southward in the direction of the IDF position located several hundred meters away,' OC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Doron Almog told reporters. 'The soldiers were alert and all positions were manned. They acted properly and, considering the circumstances, acted with determination and courage and killed the three terrorists.'
Early Sunday evening, a Nahal Brigade soldier was killed when two terrorists opened fire at a patrol in the casbah of Hebron, not far from the Machpela Cave. The soldiers had been searching for two gunmen who wounded a border policeman in the legs, near the cave in the morning. They had conducted house-to-house searches. The rest of the patrol returned fire at the gunmen, affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who were hiding on a roof and killed them.
According to IDF officers, the gunmen had posed as pushcart peddlers, hiding their rifles in their cart until they opened fire at border policemen and fled.
The army imposed a curfew on areas in the city as soldiers searched for the gunmen. The army also closed the Machpela Cave to Palestinian worshipers until further notice.
The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip called on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to announce an end to the road map. But security officials said Israel would continue implementing steps in the framework of the road map in order to support Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.
The attack at the Erez crossing, officials noted, was directed at one of the only symbols of coexistence between Israel and the Palestinians who work in the industrial complex. They warned that, if the terrorism continues, Israel will be left with no option but to crack down.
Senior IDF officers noted that in the past week Israel handed over a list of terrorists to the PA, hoping they would be arrested.
Almog described the attack as a serious incident, but noted that the soldiers manning the post and others from the response team fought determinedly and killed the three terrorists.
Since the attackers carried plastic handcuffs and masking tape, it is believed they had planned to abduct soldiers. The IDF is still seeking to determine whether the terrorists wore IDF uniforms and carried weapons when they mingled with the crowd at the crossing or picked them up later at a predetermined site.
The terrorists were identified as Rami al-Beik, 24, of Islamic Jihad; Muhammad Abu Beid, 22, of Hamas; and Mussa Sowihal, 22, of Fatah's Aksa Martyrs Brigade. It is believed Beik was the cell leader. He worked at the Erez industrial complex a year ago and is believed to have supplied most of the intelligence information. Abu Beid's brother currently works at the industrial site. Its not clear if he was involved in supplying information or possibly assisting the terrorists. Beik and Beid are from the Jabalya refugee camp and Sowihal from Beit Hanun.
According to officials Beid was also a member of the PA's Naval Police.
A statement issued by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah said: 'This joint operation was committed to confirm our people's united choice of jihad and resistance until the end of the occupation of our land and holy places.'
At the time of the attack, 6,874 Palestinian laborers had already entered Israel to work and 40 more had entered the industrial complex, joining 41 who had remained there overnight.
While an investigation continues into the sequence of events, officials said once all the details have been uncovered, the wounded questioned, and a reenactment of the incident carried out, conclusions would be drawn and assessments made regarding any changes needed to enhance security in the area.
Meanwhile, the Erez crossing will remain closed to Palestinian workers, officials said. The Rafah and Karni border crossings were also shut down.
Elsewhere, police arrested five Palestinians, including three women, carrying forged Israeli IDs. Two residents of Habla were arrested after they were caught using forged IDs to enter an Israeli community. Officials are seeking to determine the motive for their entry and said both have records of security offenses.
In Yamun, three women were arrested with forged Israeli IDs. Officials said the three forged the IDs and distributed them to other women.
In the Gaza Strip, shots were fired from Khan Yunis at Israelis working on the Gush Katif security fence near Ganei Tal. No one was wounded. Grenades were thrown at soldiers near Rafah; no one was wounded.
Soldiers arrested a fugitive dressed as a woman at the southern entrance to Nablus on Sunday night. The found a knife and a Koran hidden in his clothing.
It was the first stint of reserve duty for Sgt.-Maj. Assaf Abergil, 23, of Eilat, who had been called up 10 days ago. His father, Natan, had accompanied him to the bus station to see him off, the last time he would see his son alive.
'Assaf served in Netzarim in the Gaza Strip and during the intifada. Despite this, he studied for his psychometric exams and had signed up to study law.' Natan Abergil said.
The last time he spoke with his son was on Saturday night, when Assaf called and told him all was quiet and not to worry.
Assaf lived with his girlfriend, Shira, in Tel Aviv. After receiving the news of his death, she traveled to Eilat for his Sunday evening funeral in the military section of the cemetery.
Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Chen Angel, 31, of Ramat Gan, knew the area in which he served, his father Mordechai told reporters.
'He knew the area he was sent to for military service well, and went to reserve duty with a smile on his face as though he were going on a holiday,' he said.
Angel will be buried today at 1:30 p.m. in the military section of the Ness Ziona Cemetery.
He is survived by his wife, Lilach, who is pregnant with the couple's second child, and a three-and-a-half-year-old son.
Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Udi Eilat, 37, of Eilat, celebrated his daughter Lian's bat mitzva a week ago.
Born in Safed, he moved with his parents to Eilat, where he grew up. He served in the Paratroopers Brigade during his regular army service and was described by his friends as a 'true patriot.'
He worked as a counselor for children with special needs in the local Urim school, and also assisted the pupils to find work when they completed school. Madeline Edry, the school's headmistress, described Udi as 'a special person.' He worked there five years and was responsible for transporting and looking after the pupils in the afternoon, she said.
Udi is survived by his parents, four brothers and sisters, and two children; Eyali, his 10-year-old son, and daughter, Lian, and his ex-wife Etel.
'Boaz was my flower, my successful child. He loved me and I loved him. Our relationship was more than that of a father and son,' said David Emet, of Beit She'an, hours after receiving news that his son, Sgt.-Maj. Boaz Emet, 23.
Boaz had called his parents hours before he was killed to let them know he had arrived safely.
Emet was the first to die in the attack. The three terrorists shot him at close range as he was standing near a tank. Due to complete his military service in three weeks, he was in charge of the electronic and optical equipment in tanks.
Family members said he had already started setting up job interviews.
Emet told reporters that when he heard of the attack, he was sure his son was all right; but his wife, Rahel, became concerned. She tried a number of times to call her son on his cellphone but to no avail. 'Something bad has happened to Boaz,' she told relatives.
Emet was buried in the military section of the Beit She'an Cemetery early Sunday evening. He is also survived by three brothers.
In Memoriam
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