Terrorist infiltration of Gaza outpost leaves IDF officer seriously wounded

Two additional soldiers suffered minor injuries. All three were evacuated to Israel for medical treatment.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

An Israel Defense Forces officer was seriously injured on Yom Kippur when a terrorist infiltrated a forward military outpost in central Gaza.

Two other soldiers sustained light injuries before the terrorist was killed in a firefight, the army reported.

The incident occurred near the al-Maghazi refugee camp on Thursday morning.

The terrorist breached the outpost’s perimeter and first confronted a guard stationed at the position. He then entered further into the compound, where soldiers engaged him.

A brief exchange of fire followed, lasting around one minute. The attacker was shot dead by troops at the scene.

In the clash, a combat reconnaissance officer from the Gaza Division was seriously wounded. Two additional soldiers suffered minor injuries. All three were evacuated for medical treatment in Israel.

The IDF said the terrorist was neutralized quickly after penetrating the perimeter, preventing further casualties. Reports indicated that soldiers on site reacted immediately once the attack began.

The outpost targeted in the assault is one of several positioned along the central Gaza perimeter. These forward bases are staffed by IDF soldiers tasked with maintaining security in the area.

Last week, a terrorist pretending to be a hostage attempted to lure IDF forces into an area laden with explosives.

According to Channel 12, IDF soldiers initially believed that the terrorist was a hostage who had escaped captivity.

“During IDF forces’ activity in the Gaza Strip last night, a sign was identified that raised suspicions that there may be captives and missing persons in the area,” an IDF spokesman said.

“In light of the suspicion, extensive searches were carried out using various means. After no further findings were found, it emerged that these were not hostages but were most likely the enemy.”

No troops were hurt in the course of the searches.