IDF foils Islamic Jihad kidnap bid

The Israel Defense Forces thwarted an attempt by Islamic Jihad yesterday to kidnap an Israel Defense Forces soldier near the Kissufim Crossing in the Gaza Strip. The four militants who carried out the attack approached the area in a car disguised as a vehicle carrying journalists. One Palestinian militant was killed in the attack, which was the first such attempt since the abduction of Gilad Shalit last year.

The Islamic Jihad militants were chased away by IDF troops. One of them became separated from the rest and hid near the site of the attack, until he was shot dead by IDF troops.

The vehicle used by the four militants who carried out the attack was an SUV emblazoned with the letters TV, indicating that it carried press members. The militants used the car to approach the fence without getting shot at by the IDF. They then blew up the fence and entered Israeli territory.


IDF troops rushed to the scene, chasing three of the gunmen back to the Gaza Strip. One of them, 19-year-old Mohammed Jaabari, became separated from the group and hid inside Israel. He was discovered by a dog from the IDF's canine unit. Jaabari shot at and killed the canine. Subsequently, IDF troops shot and killed Jaabari on the spot.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had been carried out jointly with Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction. "The aim of the operation was to retreat with a prisoner," Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, said. "This was prevented by the use of Israeli helicopters."

Abu Ahmed said the militants' armored jeep collided with an IDF armored vehicle and the Palestinian gunmen used assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades in the ensuing battle.

The Foreign Press Association in Israel condemned the militants' use of a media-marked vehicle as "a grave development" that could jeopardize the safety of journalists in Gaza, who use armored vehicles for their protection.

"Proper readiness by the forces of the Gaza division and the right actions in the field prevented an attack which apparently was aimed at abducting an IDF soldier," GOC Southern Command, Major General Yoav Galant, said.

Lev-Ram, Southern Command's military spokesman, said the attack showed a need for the military to continue its raids in Gaza. "We live under constant threat," he said. "If we don't conduct such operations we will only sustain further attacks."

Security units in nearby Israeli towns and communities were placed on high alert and instructed to lock their entrance gates.

Earlier yesterday, the IDF said its troops shot and killed a Palestinian militant during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported. The army said troops returned fire on Palestinian militants, killing a gunman.