“Israel’s” Security illusion: 2 multi-ranked army personnel killed & 1 taken prisoner

Source: Ynetnews, 25-6-2006
In special press conference, "Israeli" Army chief of staff says Hamas, PA responsible for Palestinian combined attack on "Israeli" Army post near southern Gaza Strip, for kidnapped (prisoner) soldier`s fate; officer, soldier killed in attack, several troops wounded
Day of battle in Gaza Strip: A soldier and a tank commander, a second lieutenant, were killed Sunday morning, and another soldier was kidnapped after Palestinians launched a combined attack on an "Israeli" Army post in the southern Gaza Strip, near Kibbutz Kerem Shalom.
The names of the soldiers killed in the attack were cleared for publication Sunday afternoon: Lieutenant Hanan Barak (20) from Arad and Sergeant Pavel Slocker from Dimona. Barak and Slocker were killed after Palestinians fired a missile at their tank.
Several soldiers were lightly to moderately injured in the incident and were taken by helicopter to the Soroka Medical Center in Be`er Sheva.
"Israeli" Army chief of staff Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz said during a press conference at Kibbutz Kerem Shalom that "as far as the "Israeli" Army knows, the abducted soldier is alive."
"I really cannot go into details, but we have several reasons to believe that he is alive. The estimation was made based on the information we have," he said.
Sources in the Palestinian organizations that took part in the attack told media outlets in the Palestinian Authority that "the activists are providing the abducted soldier with medical treatment in order to use him as a bargaining chip and hold negotiations for a hostage exchange deal."
Halutz stressed that "the Palestinians are responsible for the soldier`s fate, and we will do everything we can in order to return him. There is no doubt that this caught us by surprise, in certain aspects, without a concrete warning."
The chief of staff admitted that "the incident in Kerem Shalom caught us unprepared. This incident is a hundred times worse because this is also not the consequence we hope for in such an encounter."
Regarding the future, Halutz noted that a ground operation was still on the agenda.
"I don't want to voice conclusive remarks on the future, as I believe we should first investigate things to the end. We must of course accept the instructions from the political echelon and then decided what to do."
The well-planned attack on the post started, at 5:40 a.m., according to the "Israeli" Army. Eight armed Palestinians infiltrated "Israel" through a tunnel leading from the Strip into "Israel's" territory, and split into three teams once they came out. One team approached an armored personnel carrier stationed at the place and fired at it. The APC was empty and no injuries were reported in that attack.
Another group simultaneously fired a missile and hurled grenades at a tank standing nearby. The missile hit the tank`s rear, hurting the four soldiers that were inside. Two were immediately killed, a third soldier sustained injuries and the fourth was initially reported missing. As the incident developed, security officials came to believe that the soldier has been kidnapped.
During the attack, a third team moved in the direction of a desert patrol army post and engaged in a shooting battle with the soldiers. An explosive device was also activated at the place. Three soldiers sustained light-to-moderate injuries as a result of the blast, and some of the Palestinians were hurt as well.
From the moment the incident was first reported of, the Southern Command and the General Staff have held constant meetings to evaluate the situation, headed by Army Chief Dan Halutz, in a bid to track down the cell behind the kidnapping and return the soldier to "Israel".
At the initial stage, heavy equipment was deployed in the area where the incident occurred and where the tunnel was located, in order to try and uncover the Palestinians` path. Large forces, including special units, have gone on a state of alert and are preparing to enter Rafah in a bid to locate the abducted soldier.
The "Israeli" Army has also asked the Egyptian policemen stationed on the border to secure the area and make sure they don't try and transfer the solider to Egypt.
While the army has not completed investigating the occurrences in Kerem Shalom, difficult questions arise regarding the way the Palestinians managed to infiltrate "Israel" and carry out the attack. One of the main questions is whether the deployment of the forces in the area was adequate. It is also unclear why no forces provided covering fire for the tank and APC at the post.
Sources at the Popular Resistance Committees claimed that organization members, along with gunmen from Hamas and a new organization fired an anti-tank missile at an "Israeli" Army post in the southern Strip and exchanged fire with the troops.
According to the PRC, "this is an operation of high quality, during which some of the people were parachuted close to the crossing."
One of the Palestinians killed is Muhammad Fruana, an Izz al-Din al-Qassam member from Rafah.
A source at the PRC defined the operation as "the ongoing illusion operation." According to the source, "the operation was aimed at making it clear that the "Israeli" security is an illusion. "Israelis" will have no security as long as the Palestinians have no security."
A spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas` military wing, claimed that there were no Palestinian casualties in the operation. The spokesman, Abu Ubaidah, said that "all the fighters who took part in the operation returned to their bases alive."
Sources at the PRC said that "the operation was a response to the assassination of the organization`s leader, Jamal Abu Samhadana , who was killed by the "Israeli" Army earlier this month, and a response to the killing of head of the group`s military wing, Khalil al-Quqa , who was assassinated by the "Israeli" Army about three months ago."