Four terrorists took advantage of the fog Thursday morning and attempted to infiltrate into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. The IDF was able to track them down and eliminate three terrorists 300 meters from the border fence.
It is estimated that a fourth terrorist managed to escape to Rafah under the cover of the fog.
The heavy fog that covered the southern part of the Gaza Strip rendered the visibility conditions difficult. Troops subsequently activated the "fog procedure" in which a foot patrol under tank-cover was sent to search the buffer zone west of the encircling fence.
During the searches, 300 meters from the fence near the Gaza border community of Kerem Shalom, the terrorists opened fire at the forces. Aided by the Israel Air Force (IAF) and tanks, the soldiers attacked the terrorist squad, killing three of them. A fourth terrorist is believed to have fled back into Rafah. Forces continued the searches.
A military official said that at no point was there any real and immediate danger to the residents of Kerem Shalom and that the encounter between the forces and the terrorist squad happened within the buffer zone.
IDF and Shin Bet set to examine the identity of the terrorists
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the IDF are expected to investigate the identity of the members of the terror cell in an attempt to understand whether it had been activated under the guidance of Hamas or under a local organization.
The IDF praised the observers whose activities led to the thwarting of the terror squad.
From initial investigations, it appears that the at around 4 a.m. observers detected suspicious movement in the buffer area, some 300 meters from the border. The observers could not get a complete picture of the movement of the terrorists due to the fog.
The observers quickly activated the fog procedure and sent aircrafts, infantry forces, as well as tanks to the scene. A few minutes after the initial identification, while the observers were directing the forces towards the terrorists, the terrorists opened fire and a battle ensued, during forces operated together to thwart the threat.