IOF officer killed, 13 soldiers wounded in Qassam attack

Contributed by Anonymous

"GAZA, (PIC)-- An Israeli officer was killed and 13 others were wounded in a daring attack launched by fighters of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, on the Israeli occupation forces' position in Karm Abu Salem near to the south of the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

Hebrew media acknowledged the casualties in the Qassam's attack on the IOF base in Karm Abu Salem crossing east of Rafah, south of the Strip.

They said that army choppers carried the casualties to Soroka hospital, and added that most of the injured soldiers were either slightly or moderately wounded. Israeli hospital sources said that the injuries were a result of blasts, adding that the soldiers sustained penetrating wounds and burns.

For his part, Abu Obaida, the Qassam spokesman, described the raid as "qualitative", and stressed that the Israeli casualties were bigger than announced by the Israelis.

IOF command asked all settlers near to the scene of the attack to remain indoors fearing a possible Palestinian commando infiltration.

Meanwhile, a Hamas operative was killed and another wounded while confronting an invading IOF unit east of Gaza city at dawn Saturday.

The QB said in a communiqué that Ihab Abu Amre, 21, was killed in an Israeli aerial bombing that targeted a group of fighters who spotted the IOF advance and engaged the advancing soldiers.

It said that the fighters fired an RPG and 45 mortar shells at the IOF unit in addition to machinegun fire.

The Hebrew radio also reported that a number of Palestinian locally made resistance missiles were fired at Sderot on Friday night one of which damaged a building and started fire in it but no casualties.

A report for the Palestinian center for human rights said that Israel killed 29 Palestinians in the course of one week including ten children and a cameraman all in the Gaza Strip while 81 others were wounded most of them civilians including 41 children, three women and a journalist.

The same center registered 48 IOF incursions in the West Bank in one week (10/4-16/4/2008) during which breaking into dozens of buildings were recorded along with indiscriminate firing at citizens and their homes.

The weekly report noted that 52 Palestinians were rounded up during those incursions bringing the number of Palestinians kidnapped since the start of 2008 to 927 citizens."