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Jun. 27, 2004
Soldier killed in tunnel blast laid to rest
Arieh O’Sullivan
Hundreds of people, including soldiers of the Givati Brigade, attended on Monday afternoon the funeral of St.-Sgt. Ro’i Nissim, 20, from Rishon Letzion, who was killed late Sunday in the Gaza Strip.
Ro’i Nissim is survived by his parents and two sisters.
Nissim was killed and five other soldiers were wounded after Palestinians set off a massive explosion in a tunnel underneath a large IDF fortification in the Gaza Strip Sunday night. Nissim was crushed to death under walls that collapsed from the force of the blast.
Nissim’s parent’s told Channel 1 news that several weeks ago he approached his commanders, saying that he heard suspicious noises coming from the ground underneath the outpost. The parents said that had the complaint been fully investigated, their son might have still been alive.
The five soldiers wounded in the attack were treated at Beersheba’s Soroka Hospital. One of the soldiers underwent surgery throughout the night and hospital officials said he was in serious but stable condition.
The terrorists had piled dozens of kilograms of explosives in the tunnel below the position where some 60 soldiers were reportedly stationed at the time. The massive device, detonated by remote control, exploded under an open area of the compound.
The position itself was evacuated of all personnel and large forces of IDF troops were deployed in the area to provide protection for the workers at the scene. Other soldiers searched for the entrance to the 15-meter-deep tunnel, constructed by terrorists to reach underneath the post, as bulldozers cleared surrounding land.
Rescue workers, who came to evacuate the wounded, were caught in heavy gun battles.
The Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that they were in retaliation for the targeted killings earlier this year of the organization’s leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi.
A videotape, showing the various stages of the digging of the tunnel by Hamas members, was released on Monday.
Some hours after the attack, IDF forces and Palestinian combatants traded fire near Khan Younis, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Palestinians reported that two were killed, including a young child, in Kahn Younis Sunday night.
Several hours after the attack IAF gunships fired missiles at two alleged weapon factories in the Gaza Strip.
The army sent large forces into the Gaza Strip late Sunday through the Kissufim crossing in what might be the start of the Israeli response to the attack. Senior defense officials told Israel Radio that Israel sees the attack as a serious escalation of violence.
The explosion happened around 9:45 p. m. at the Orchan outpost, which sits on the Gaza Strip’s main north-south artery and monitors the Palestinian activities.
Gaza Division commander Brig.-Gen. Shmuel Zakai said the explosion occurred underneath the position, and that the entire structure collapsed. Zakai said the army expects a continuation of complex, multi-staged attacks against Israeli targets in the near future.
"Even though the IDF is registering successes against the Palestinian terror infrastructure, from time to time the terrorists also register successes," Zakai said.
According to Zakai, Sunday’s attack included diversionary fire and an attempt to introduce a car bomb into Gush Katif.
Zakai said that the Orchan position was protected against small-arms fire but not against a bomb attack from below using tunnels. He noted that it must have taken weeks to dig the tunnel, adding that Orchan was targeted in the past, including by a car bomb.
Military sources estimate the explosion was the result of at least 150 kilograms of explosives. Rescue workers said it collapsed one of the camp’s wings. Two large cranes arrived to clear the wreckage and evacuate the trapped soldier. Only armored ambulances were being allowed into the area.
IDF brass held a hasty situation assessment to discuss the escalation in the Palestinian attack against IDF forces. A fierce retaliation was expected but not immediately.
The main road from Kissufim Junction to Gush Katif was shut down, blocking residents trying to reach their homes in the enclave.
Sunday’s attack marks the first successful bombing since Palestinians blew up an armored personnel carrier on May 12 along the Philadelphi corridor separating Egypt from the Gaza Strip. Five soldiers were killed in the explosion.
Palestinians have, in the past, burrowed tunnels underneath outposts, including under the Termit outpost along the Philadelphi corridor in Rafah. This would be the first time that the method was used in the Gush Katif region.
While a victory for Palestinian terrorists, it also shows the difficulty they have in carrying out attacks outside of the heavily guarded Gaza Strip.
It also gave a glimpse of the type of attacks that the IDF could face as it carries through with declared plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
Gush Katif Spokesman Eran Sternberg said settlements in the area came under fire Sunday night. The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza Strip said the attack was a result of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, branding it, "a retreat under fire.‘ The disengagement plan, the council said, ’blows wind into the sails of the terrorists."
Fighting continued in the region on Monday with Palestinian gunmen opening fire with anti-tank missiles and light weapons at an IDF post near Dugit in the northern sector of the Gaza Strip. There were no casualties or damage and the soldiers returned fire.
In Memoriam
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