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Last update - 00:46 15/01/2009
IDF soldier seriously hurt in anti-tank missile attack in Gaza
By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel News, hamas, gaza 

Seven Israel Defense Forces soldiers were wounded on Wednesday, one of them seriously, as Palestinian militants fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli paratroopers just outside Gaza City.

One soldier sustained moderate wounds and five were lightly hurt as Israel's offensive against Hamas terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip neared the end of the 19th day.


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Later Wednesday, six IDF soldiers were lightly wounded when a wall collapsed in northern Gaza. The six were evacuated to Israel for medical attention.

Earlier Wednesday, IDF paratroopers killed a Palestinian suicide bomber who attempted to detonate his explosives belt near them.

The paratroopers discovered the terrorist while searching a site in the northern section of Gaza City. When the bomber attempted to approach them, the soldiers opened fire, apparently hitting his explosives belt and detonating it. He was killed without causing any injury to the soldiers.

IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi on Tuesday said that Hamas militants have been dressing up as IDF soldiers in uniform in efforts to carry out suicide bombings against Israeli troops in Gaza.

Meanwhile Wednesday, five IDF paratroopers were wounded during a gunbattle in northern Gaza. Two officers were moderately wounded and an officer and two soldiers were lightly wounded in the incident, which began when they were fired upon by gunmen.

The soldiers returned fire and hit the assailants. The wounded were given first aid on the spot, and were later taken for treatment to Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer.

The commander of the Paratroopers 101st Battalion, Lt. Col. Avi Balut, was one of the officers lightly wounded in the gunbattle.

Another soldier was lightly wounded in a second incident.

The Israel Air Force, meanwhile, hit about 60 targets in the Hamas-ruled territory overnight. These included a Hamas police headquarters in Gaza City, five rocket launching sites, including a squad of mortar gunners and an area rigged with explosive devices intended for detonation against IDF forces, the army said.

The IAF also attacked eight squads of gunmen, some in coordination with ground forces, according to the army. The army deployed infantry, tanks, combat engineers, artillery, and intelligence units in its operations throughout the Gaza Strip Wednesday, with the assistance of the Israel Air Force and the Israeli Navy.


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