(Communicated by the IDF Spokesman)
From Sunday morning, July 17 until noon on July 18, 32 mortar shells fell in the Gaza Strip and western Negev. Two civilians were seriously injured by the mortars in an Israeli community in the southern Gaza Strip.
A Border Police sapper was lightly injured by a mortar shell that fell near him while he was working on another mortar that had fallen in the community of Neve Dekalim.
Additionally, seven anti-tank missiles have been fired at IDF forces in the Gaza Strip.
Wanted Hamas terrorist killed in Khan Yunis
In a security forces operation Sunday morning (17 July 2005) in Khan Yunis, Sayid Isa Jabar Siam, aged 31, a senior member of the Khan Yunis Hamas infrastructure was targeted and killed. Siam was involved in several deadly terror attacks in the past and was currently involved in planning future terror attacks.
Sayid Siam was involved in numerous terror attacks in which Israelis were murdered, among them infiltrations into Israeli communities, the firing of mortar shells at Israeli targets and the detonation of tunnels and explosive devices.
Sayid Siam headed several terror cells responsible for firing mortar shells from Khan Yunis on dozens of occasions, in one of which an Israeli civilian, Tiferet Tratner, was murdered in Neve Dekalim in September 2004. Siam was currently involved in directing mortar shell attacks against Israeli targets.
In June 2004 Siam was involved in the terror attack on the IDF Orchan outpost near the Gush Katif junction in which an explosive tunnel which was detonated under the outpost killed an IDF soldier, Roi Nissim, and wounded five other soldiers.
In November 2002 Siam was involved, along with additional senior Hamas members from Khan Yunis, in the murder of two Gush Katif residents in the greenhouses of the Israeli community of Pe'at Sadeh.
IAF strike of vehicle carrying senior Hamas terrorists
In a security forces operation (July 16), the IAF struck a vehicle carrying four senior Hamas terrorists and weaponry which included numerous Qassam rockets in Gaza city. The Hamas terrorists were senior weapon manufactures and were on their way to launch Qassam rockets at Israel.
This strike follows the continues Qassam and mortar shell attacks at Israeli targets. Today seven Qassam rockets and eight mortar shells were fired at Israeli targets.
Hamas terrorist cell targeted in Salfit
In a joint IDF and ISA operation on Friday in Salfit, the head of the Hamas terror organization in Salfit, Samer Abdel Muhamad Duhake, was killed, along with two other Hamas terrorists who were part of his terrorist cell, Ali Hasin Hareb and Muhamad Yusuf Ayash.
According to security information, the terrorist cell had been planning terrorist attacks and was also involved in the manufacturing of explosive devices and the collection of information about potential Israeli targets. This terrorist attack was supposed to take place after coordination with the Hamas leadership.
The terrorist Muhamad Duhake had been wanted since May 2004 for his involvement in an attack against an Israeli bus and vehicles on the Trans-Samaria road on August 10, 2004 in which three Israeli civilians were wounded.
In January 2005 a terror attack which he planned to carry out in Israel was thwarted. The planned attack in Jerusalem was to have been carried out by Abdel Rahim Teisir Anis Shahin, 18, a resident of Salfit, on January 9, 2005. Shahin was recruited and guided by Muhamad Duhake and was photographed wearing an explosive belt. Rahim was arrested on January 6, 2005, three days before the date of the planned terror attack.
During yesterday's operation, Muhamad Duhake was detected with two other wanted Hamas terrorists Ravia Ali Hasin Hareb and Muhamad Yusuf Ayash in the caves near Salfit. During the operation the terrorist cell members were hit but Muhamad Duhake fled, and was later on found hiding in a cave near Salfit. He was killed in an exchange of fire with IDF forces, during which he threw a hand grenade and opened fire at the forces.
The terrorist Ravia Hareb, 23, had been wanted for several months. He was a main figure in the Hamas terrorist cell at the Open University of Salfit and was a main point of contact to the Hamas terrorist cell in Najah University in Nablus. In the past, Ravia Hareb was imprisoned in Israel after admitting to manufacturing explosive devices. He worked in collaboration with Muhamad Duhake in order to rebuild the Hamas infrastructure at the Trans-Samaria road area. The collaboration included providing Duhake with weaponry, coordinating the terror activity, assisting Hamas terrorists and involvement in an attempt to carry a suicide attack in Israel.
Muhamad Ayash, 30, a wanted Hamas terrorist since July 2004, was in close contact with Samer and Ravia Ayash. He was imprisoned in Israel after he admitted assisting the Hamas terrorist Ihye Ayash in carrying out an explosive device attack against a military jeep on the Dir Balut road on September 23, 1994. He was involved in trying to find a potential target in Israel and receiving two bags with explosives which he was supposed to pass to a suicide bomber for a suicide attack in Israel that was planned by the Hamas terrorist cell in Najah University.