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January 07, 2005
Soldier killed, four wounded in roadside shootings
MARGOT DUDKEVITCH
Sgt. Yosef (Yossi) Atia, 21, of Petah Tikva, was killed and three other soldiers and a civilian were wounded in two shootings on Road 505 between the Tapuah junction and Migdalim, south of Nablus in Samaria, on Friday afternoon.
The wounded were taken to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva; Atia was pronounced dead on arrival.
The Aksa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attacks. Hours later at a press conference, Palestinian Authority chairmanship candidate Mahmoud Abbas criticized the attacks but did not condemn them, saying, 'There is no justification for this operation but there are a lot of reasons behind it.'
Atia and three friends - all soldiers on leave, wearing civilian clothes - were on their way to Ma'aleh Ephraim, where they planned to spend Shabbat at the pre-military training academy they had attended before joining the army.
Two Palestinian gunmen waiting in ambush on the roadside opened fire on the vehicle as it passed the village of Usarin near the Tapuah junction. Security officials told The Jerusalem Post that more than 30 bullets hit the car.
Atia and the man sitting next to him suffered gunshot wounds to the head and chest, and the two soldiers in the back seat were shot in the arms and legs. One of the soldiers succeeded in getting out of the car, despite his wounds, and fired at the terrorists with his IDF-issued weapon as they fled.
Moments before, the gunmen had fired on another Israeli car. The driver was lightly wounded by shrapnel but was able to continue to the Tapuah junction and alert troops. A third Israeli vehicle reached the site during the exchange of gunfire, but sped from the area to avoid the shooting.
Security forces arrived shortly afterwards and began searching the area for the perpetrators and curfews were imposed on nearby villages, to no avail.
An Air Force helicopter was called to evacuate the wounded but they were taken to hospital in ambulances instead.
On hearing of the attack, family and friends thronged to the Atia family home.
His sister Dikla said that Yosef had many secular and religious friends. Good- looking with curly golden hair, he was popular with everyone, she said, and always smiled.
Last Tuesday, the combat medic from the Paratroops Brigade celebrated his 21st birthday. The remains of the cake are still in the refrigerator, family members told reporters.
Atia is to be buried at the Segula military cemetery in Petah Tikva on Sunday afternoon. He is survived by his parents David and Rachel, and his siblings Idit, Galit, Victor and Dikla.
On Saturday night, he was posthumously promoted from the rank of sergeant to staff sergeant.
In Gush Katif over the weekend, two Palestinians were killed by IDF gunfire in separate incidents.
The first man was killed by soldiers Friday after reportedly attempting to place a bomb near the security fence close to Ganei Tal.
The other man, who was armed, was shot on Saturday after approaching an IDF position at the Gush Katif junction. The IDF and Palestinian security officials launched a joint investigation into that incident after both sides gave conflicting versions of how the man, identified as Muhammad al-Farra, 61, was killed.
The IDF Spokesman said that soldiers spotted an armed Palestinian approaching their post at the site. According to Spokesman officials, the man wore black clothes and was armed when shot by soldiers, who later noticed a Palestinian ambulance evacuating him.
Palestinian media reports, however, claimed that Farra was driving his car when it was hit by a tank shell. The IDF Spokesman denied the charges, stressing that no tank fire was carried out during the day, and stressed that the man who was shot approached the IDF post on foot.
A total of 17 mortar shells were fired over the weekend at settlements in Gush Katif, the northern Gaza Strip and the western Negev. No one was wounded but several buildings were damaged. Fourteen of the mortar shells were fired on Friday, the majority of which fell in Gush Katif settlements. One fell in an open area in the western Negev. Several houses suffered direct hits, but no one was wounded in the attacks.
One of the mortar shells was fired at the Erez industrial complex.
On Saturday, three mortar shells were fired, one at an IDF post near Rafah in southern Gaza, one in Neveh Dekalim in Gush Katif and the third at a settlement in northern Gaza. No one was wounded and no damage was reported.
Copyright © The Jerusalem Post
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