IDF strike on Rafah building kills leaders of PRC, group said to be responsible for the deadly attacks which took place today in Israel border and killed seven, 6 of them civilians.

'I was too scared to move' - Woman recalls moments of horror when terrorists ambushed her car: There was blood on the floor, I heard my husband gasping

Soldier wounded as attacks continue and heard during IDF brief to the media- Attack continues even as defense minister, IDF chief, GOC Southern Command brief reporters on terror attacks that killed seven in south. the shooting was being heard during the media brief.

Iron Dome intercepts 3 rockets fired at Israel - Palestinians from Gaza fire at Ashkelon after IDF retaliates for terror attacks, system to be re-deployed in Beersheba

Latest Update: 08.18.11

The army bombed a target in Gaza Thursday evening in response to four terror attacks that killed seven Israelis and injured 31 in the south. The IDF says the target was a Rafah building used by terrorists, and Palestinian sources reported six dead in the strike, among them two senior operatives in the Popular Resistance Committees.

The two senior operatives are, according to Palestinian sources, Abu Oud al-Nirab, the commander of the group's military wing, and Khaled Shaath, a senior member of the terror group. Preliminary reports say IDF aircraft bombed a house, killing the two men and four others inside. Earlier, the IDF scattered fliers in the area, sources said. It remains unclear what the fliers said. Palestinian news agencies reported that the PRC was responsible for the attacks in the south. A spokesman for the group threatened retaliation for the strike.

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, announced that it will retaliate against any Israeli offensive on the Gaza strip. A spokesman for the brigades, Abu Obeida, said: "Any Israeli military operation against the Gaza Strip will be considered an act of aggression. We will respond to any such aggression with all our might." Earlier Palestinian sources reported that Hamas' interior minister ordered the the security forces headquarters in Gaza to be immediately evacuated for fear of IDF retaliation. It was also reported that Israel closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing until further notice. The central cargo channel was shut immediately after the terror attack. Hamas voiced concerns that Israel "is trying to export the crisis that has befallen it, and transfer it to Gaza."
Defense Minister Ehud Barak has hinted that harsh retaliation is to follow, saying while visiting the south that "Gaza is a source of terror, and we will take full-force action against them."


'I was too scared to move' -

A woman injured in one of Thursday's terror attacks recalled the moments of horror from her hospital bed, saying she pretended to be dead after terrorists fired at the car her husband was driving in order to escape being shot at again. "I couldn't move because I was afraid that the terrorist would see and shoot us again. There was blood on the floor, and I heard my husband gasping. I saw that his shirt was soaked in blood. I was afraid to call to him," she said. The couple was driving back from a vacation in Eilat when they were caught in a terrorist ambush. "We saw cars stopping. We were told that Egyptian soldiers were shooting. After a few minutes a military jeep came , and the soldiers told us to continue driving. But we didn't understand them correctly. They told us to go back, but we continued straight ahead," she said. Moments later, they saw three figures behind them, one of whom began shooting at their car. "In retrospect, there must have been an observer who warned him that we were coming," she said. "I screamed, bent over and shielded my face. It was an instinct."



Her husband, who was driving, tried to avoid the bullets, but lost control of the steering wheel. The car flipped over. "I prayed quietly that they would stop shooting at us," the woman recalled. "The radio was on… The songs continued to play while we heard a fire exchange between the IDF and the terrorists. It was close to us." They lay there for over an hour. At one point, the pressure of the seat belt became unbearable, and the woman reached for her bag and took out her cell phone. She called her son and asked him to call for help. Moments later, soldiers arrived and rescued them. The couple was taken to Eilat's Yoseftal Medical Center; later, the husband, who was critically injured, was airlifted to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.



Six Israeli civilians and an IDF soldier were killed in the multiple attacks that took place near Eilat early on Thursday afternoon. Another shooting incident occurred later, injuring an IDF combat soldier. According to a defense establishment source, terrorists opened fire at IDF troops searching the border with Egypt.




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