Four soldiers killed in Gaza as tank drives over 100-kg bomb

Ha'aretz ^ | Sunday, February 16, 2003 Adar1 14, 5763 | Amos Harel and Arnon Regular

[yonif]

Four Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed Saturday morning when their tank drove over an explosive device in the Gaza Strip, the army said.

Word of the casualties from the 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) attack on the patrolling tank, which burst into flames after several explosions, was held back for hours until families of the soldiers could be notified.

Iz a Din al-Kassam, the military of wing of the Hamas organization, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it planted the explosives that hit the tank to avenge the deaths of two Hamas activists killed near Beit Lahia in a clash with IDF troops earlier this week.

"The Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades take responsibility for the 25-kg (55-pound) bomb that exploded under a Zionist tank this morning near Dugit. We confirm that our resistance and jihad (holy struggle) will continue," the Hamas statement said.

At a press conference Saturday evening to discuss the incident, GOC Central Command, Major General Doron Almog said the tank was traveling south in the area when "it ran over an explosive device weighing about 100 kilograms." He said that the blast caused the ammunition inside the tank to explode.

"We know that Hamas is behind the incident. We know that Hamas planted the bomb in the area, and we also know who from Hamas is involved in this operation," he said.

"We intend to continue our defensive and attack operations in the Gaza Strip in a targeted manner against those behind this and other incidents in order to protect residents of the southern Gaza Strip and the entire country," Almog added.

Palestinian witnesses said the tank burst into flames after several explosions in the area, near the settlement of Dugit at the northern end of the desert strip that skirts the Mediterranean Sea. The witnesses said they saw dark smoke rising from the tank.

Soldiers with water hoses tried to douse the flames, as Israeli helicopters hovered above to help with the rescue efforts, the witnesses said.

"The tank went over a large bomb in the northern Gaza Strip," a security source said without elaborating.

The attack was the fourth fatal instance of a tank driving over an explosive device in the Strip in the last year. On February 14, 2002 three soldiers were killed and two others were wounded when their Merkava tank drove over an explosive device on the Karni-Netzarim road. One month later, three soldiers in a Merkava tank were killed in a similar incident in the same area. In September, a tank driver was killed and the other members of the crew were wounded by an explosive device in the Kissufim area.

Unlike the previous incidents, Saturday's attack involved a Magach 7-Kfir tank, and not the Merkava, which is considered Israel's most heavily armored tank.

In December, Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a Palestinian Authority compound in Gaza, killing a master militant bombmaker responsible for blowing up the three Merkavas over the previous year, in which seven crew members were killed.

[yonif]

The tank

[Saturnalia]

That is one hell of a landmine.

[LibKill]

My sympathies to the tank crew and families.

It's way past time to stop coddleing the paliterrorists.

It's time to take scalps.

[dennisw]

Very bad news. Hopefully the terrorists will be rooted out of Gaza when the Iraq war gets into gear.

[Squantos]

Command detonated Bump........

[Catspaw]

It's long past the time.

[dennisw]

 

Sat Feb 15, 3:20 PM ET

A Palestinian boy pauses in front of the rubble of what used to be a house, destroyed by Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip (news - web sites) town of Beit Lahia Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003. The forces moved into the area, demolishing three Palestinian homes following a roadside bomb early Saturday that turned a passing Israeli army tank into a fireball, wiping out its four-man crew in an attack claimed by the militant Palestinian Islamic group Hamas.

Sat Feb 15, 3:50 PM ET

Palestinian children walk away from the rubble of what used to be a house, destroyed by Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip (news - web sites) town of Beit Lahia Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003. The forces moved into the area, demolishing three Palestinian homes following a roadside bomb early Saturday that turned a passing Israeli army tank into a fireball, wiping out its four-man crew in an attack claimed by the militant Palestinian Islamic group Hamas. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

 

 

Sat Feb 15,12:12 PM ET

An Israeli army bulldozer, left, is seen next to an Israeli tank, partially seen right, that burst into flames near the Jewish settlement of Dugit as seen from the Palestinian town of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip (news - web sites) Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003. A roadside bomb exploded next to an Israeli tank in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing all four soldiers inside, the military said. The smoke seen is the smoke screen released from the tank and not a fire. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

[Arpege92]

Does anyone else notice how proudly these terrorists announce the death and destruction they cause? I can't wait until Israel can proudly state to the world that they have kicked the palestinians a$$!

[dennisw]

I like the word paleostinians better.

[LibKill]

I like the word paleostinians better.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! They are stone-age in outlook and lifestyle.

[PhilDragoo]

Saddam pays the families of pallie bombers and harbors al Qaeda.

Iran harbors Osama's son Saad and finances terrorist attacks.

The article uses Hamas' term "activists".

It's a war on terror.

Let us kill the terrorists.

Arafat's head should be in a jar on Sharon's desk.

But we must observe a balanced approach.

Saddam Hussein's head in a jar on the opposite side of the desk.

Symmetrical warfare.

[wardaddy]

Kill them all.

Where you been?

[ml/nj]

It's way past time to start removing stones from the foundation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque for each Israeli that is killed, and removing them in a geometric progression.

ML/NJ

[patton]

It was reported yesterday, as "Four Israeli Soldiers Killed in Tank Fire"

[Travis McGee]

Simple and effective.

[bribriagain]

"It's long past the time."

To do what?

Just curious, do you support US policy with regard to Israel and Palestine? Or do you subscribe to the Dennisw foreign policy?

[Catspaw]

Sweetums, I'm an honorary Jew and I adore dennisw.

[bribriagain]

"Sweetums, I'm an honorary Jew and I adore dennisw."

Thanks for the kind reply, I respect and like your posts.

But again I must ask you, do you support US foreign policy with regard to the settlements?