An IDF combat officer was seriously wounded Thursday morning in a Yom Kippur terror attack at an army post in the central Gaza Strip, the military said.
According to the IDF, a terrorist attempted to infiltrate the post near Khan Younis. He climbed the perimeter embankment undetected and opened fire on a reservist guard, lightly wounding him. The soldier returned fire and injured the attacker, who then advanced toward another position and exchanged fire with two additional soldiers, including the officer who was critically wounded and another soldier who was lightly hurt. The terrorist was killed in the clash.
The wounded soldiers were evacuated to hospitals, and their families were notified, the military said.
The attack took place shortly before the start of the Yom Kippur fast, as Israeli forces completed the takeover of the Netzarim corridor, a key route that now blocks the movement of Gazans from south to north. Defense Minister Israel Katz said anyone remaining north of the corridor would be considered “a terrorist or a terror supporter” as part of the army’s operation Gideon’s Chariots II, which aims to capture Gaza City.
On Wednesday, Israel intercepted seven rockets launched from Gaza, two in the morning and five in the evening aimed at the southern port city of Ashdod. The military also reported rockets fired from the Khan Younis area that landed near a humanitarian aid distribution site in Rafah. The IDF said no damage was caused and food parcels continued to be distributed Thursday without Hamas involvement.
In recent days, the army said Hamas has sought to carry out a major attack or abduct soldiers. During a visit to Gaza earlier this week, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told commanders that Hamas was striving for such an achievement in the final stretch of the war and stressed the need for vigilance, mobility and leadership from the front.