Israel Defense Forces soldiers on Monday caught a female would-be suicide bomber at the entrance to the Erez border crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. The woman, who was wearing an explosives belt under her clothing, has a permit to enter Israel for medical treatment. Also, on Monday, Palestinian gunmen near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm opened fire on a car carrying two Israelis in a drive-by ambush, killing Yvgeny Reider, the 30-year-old driver, and lightly wounding his passenger, 16.
On Saturday, an Islamic Jihad gunman was killed and a Fatah Al-Aksa Brigades gunman was wounded by IDF gunfire while attempting to launch an attack in Kfar Darom in the central Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, IDF soldiers arrested Khalil Mohammed Hashash, 16, trying to smuggle five pipe bombs across the Hawara checkpoint near the city of Nablus. Over the past three months the IDF has thwarted 21 attempts to smuggle explosives into Israel where the suspects have been under age 18.
Also, Palestinian gunmen firing anti-tank missiles and small arms killed Sergeant Major Avi Karuchi, 25, and wounded two other soldiers Sunday in attacks on the Philadelphi Route in the southern Gaza Strip. Soldiers returned fire, killing one of the attackers. Recent weeks have seen an average of 50-80 attacks a week in the Gaza Strip, as opposed to an average of 10-15 in February. Encouraged by its headquarters in Damascus, Islamic Jihad is ignoring the period of calm and various Fatah factions are following suit. Coordination with the Palestinian security forces is very limited. Last week, Israel demanded that the Palestinians post additional policemen opposite the Philadelphi Route and in the area of Khan Yunis, but the Palestinians have been slow to respond and the situation in the area is deteriorating.
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