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February 27, 2004
Reservist killed in Erez gunfight
Margot Dudkevtich
Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Amir Zimmerman, 25, of Kfar Monash in Emek Hefer, was killed in a battle with two Fatah gunmen who infiltrated the Erez industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday morning.
The gunmen, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and grenades, were shot and killed shortly after.
Zimmerman will be buried Friday at 1 p. m. in the military section of the Kfar Monash Cemetery.
Erez Battalion commander Lt.-Col. Yossi Hadad told The Jerusalem Post that the terrorists either infiltrated the industrial zone via a tunnel linked to a sewerage manhole or climbed over the fence. "Both options are being checked," he said.
The gunmen planned to shoot at motorists on the nearby highway, at arriving workers, or at soldiers at the entrance, he said.
On Wednesday night, Hadad had informed Palestinian Authority officials of warnings that terrorists would attack the industrial zone.
"The reports we received were of terrorists planning to infiltrate the industrial zone via a tunnel that linked up to a manhole,‘ he said. ’Because of the warnings, we prevented Israeli and Palestinian workers from entering, which was the right decision." Throughout the night, soldiers remained on high alert. Zimmerman and another soldier were guarding the entrance gate. At about 6 a. m., Zimmerman spotted something suspicious and as he approached, the gunmen killed him.
His backup killed one of the terrorists, and arriving reinforcements killed the other. The industrial zone will remain shut until Sunday, Hadad said, when the situation will be assessed.
The Fatah Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility and identified the perpetrators as Ashraf Zakkout and Ayman Suheil. It was the 11th attack to occur at the Erez complex since November 2001.
They have claimed the lives of four civilians and 10 members of the security forces. OC Gaza Strip Brig.-Gen. Gadi Shamni told reporters that all the terrorist organizations continue to use every opportunity to launch attacks, even though it harms the Palestinian civilian population.
"We are at war with terrorist organizations that choose to target the very symbol of coexistence, a place where Israelis and Palestinians work alongside each other," he said. While security forces have succeeded in thwarting numerous attacks, once again a heavy price was paid, he said, adding that had the terrorists succeeded in reaching the nearby highway, the losses could have been far greater.
At the time the attack occurred, 7,500 Palestinian laborers from the Gaza Strip were passing through the Erez terminal to work in Israel, he said. Officials noted that 4,000 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip work in the industrial zone and their salaries feed at least 30,000 members of their immediate families. The workers are employed by Israeli and Palestinian factory owners.
Other attacks at the site include a suicide bombing on January 14 in which a woman blew herself up at the entrance to the terminal where magnetic cards are issued to the Palestinian workers, killing a civilian, two soldiers, and a border policeman. Hamas and Fatah claimed responsibility.
On December 4, security forces found a package containing components to make bombs in a postal truck leaving the Gaza Strip. In June, four soldiers were killed when three terrorists infiltrated an IDF post at Erez. In February, security forces thwarted an attempt to infiltrate the industrial zone.
In Memoriam
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