Quds Brigades clash with IOF troops, wound at least four occupation soldiers

Source: IPC & Haaretz, 1-12-2007
KHAN YOUNIS-The Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad said that on Friday its fighters carried out a number of attacks at IOF soldiers east of al-Qarara village in the southern Gaza Strip.
In a statement received by the PIC the Brigades said that its fighters engaged the occupation troops for about four and a half hours, adding that IOF helicopters and ambulances were seen arriving at the scene of the battle to evacuate the wounded.
The Brigades further said that its fighters fired 8 RPG`s at a group of IOF military vehicles to north east of Khan Younis in three consecutive attacks; 4 RPG`s were fired at 3:00 pm, another two at 3:10 pm and another two at 3:15 pm, according to the statement.
The communiqué further stated that after 15 minutes of the last round of RPG`s the Brigades fighters engaged the IOF troops in a gun battle wounding four IOF soldiers and added that a support unit fired two mortars at Megin IOF military post to the east of Qarara village during the clash.
The Brigades said that this attack was in retaliation to continuous IOF attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and as a practical reply to the threats of an IOF invasion of the Gaza Strip made by "Israeli" chief of staff, Gabi Ashkenazi.
"Israeli" soldiers injured & killed round Gaza, reason accidents!
However, an "Israeli" Military Forces soldier died Friday after sustaining critical injuries Wednesday while performing routine maintenance on a tank at the Shizafon Armored Corps Base in the Arava Desert.
Private Ma`ayan Rottenberg from Kibbut Beit Ha`emek was evacuated by helicopter to the intensive care unit of Soroka Hospital in Be`er Sheva where he later died.
The tank reportedly was not in motion at the time of the accident, and a preliminary "Israeli" Military investigation is probing whether the soldier was hurt while performing a routine check on the tank`s weapons system.
This is the third accident this month involving on-duty "Israeli" Military soldiers: Sergeant-Major Asaf Waxman was killed when he was crushed to death while driving an armored personnel carrier and Staff Sergeant Yariv Amitai was killed in a jeep accident while patrolling the border with the Gaza Strip.
A military police probe has found that Waxman had received no training on driving such a vehicle, nor did four other soldiers who were lightly to moderately injured when the APC overturned.
Military sources said the MP were investigating, among other things, the possibility that the accident was caused because the APC crew did not stick to regulations.
"I`ve heard that one of the APC doors wasn`t working properly and he was thrown out of the vehicle," one of Waxman`s friends said.