the weather is cold and rainy but on the ground things are defently heating up:

West bank- Soldiers kill armed Palestinian at checkpoint.
IDF soldiers shoot Palestinian man who approached Bekaot roadblock while yelling 'Allahu Akbar'. Sappers find two pipe bombs on man's body

Gaza area- 3 Thai workers hurt in mortar strike. Four shells fired from Gaza at Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council. One man seriously injured by shrapnel in chest; two others sustain light, moderate injuries

Initial probe shows that mishap in mortar launching system killed IDF soldier Nadav Rotenberg during Gaza border clash Friday

Ynet reporters Latest Update: 01.08.11

West bank:

A Palestinian man on Saturday was shot to death at the Bekaot checkpoint near the West Bank village of Tubas, southeast of Nablus.

The IDF said the man was carrying two pipe bombs and a knife.

Eyewitnesses said the Palestinian got out of a cab and approached the checkpoint while yelling "Allahu Akbar." Passengers who were with him in the taxi began to walk away as they feared he might be carrying an explosive device.

According to eyewitness reports, the man wore a long coat and soldiers suspected he might be hiding explosives. The soldiers ordered the suspect to stop and then opened fire.

A sapper who was called to the scene found two pipe bombs on the Palestinian's body.

Palestinian sources identified the man as 25-year-old Khaldoon Samoudi from the village of al-Yamun in the Jenin area.


2nd incident in a week
On Sunday, a Palestinian was shot to death at the same checkpoint. Soldiers claimed Mahmoud Muhammad Dharaghma, 20, ignored an order to stop, but Palestinian sources later said that he was unarmed.

A female soldier screamed, and her friends fired live ammunition," said a Palestinian eyewitness. Eight bullets were fired at Dharaghma.



Gaza area:

Three foreign workers from Thailand were injured Saturday by a mortar shell that exploded in a kibbutz at Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.


One of the men sustained moderate to serious injuries, a second one sustained moderate wounds and the third man was lightly wounded. Two of the three were transferred to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba for medical treatment. Magen David Adom said all three suffered shock.


The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the al-Quds Brigades, took responsibility for the attack, claiming it targeted a military base. The group issued a statement saying its cell managed to fire a total of six mortar shells.


"It's the resistance's right to stand up to any Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people," the statement said.


Meanwhile, Southern Command Chief Tal Russo vowed to respond to the mortar strike, saying that "we will take care of the masterminds and those who executed it."

At approximately 14:20 pm four mortar shells were fired from the Gaza Strip. The shells exploded in a residential area in the kibbutz, where the foreign workers lived.


The man who sustained moderate to serious injuries had shrapnel penetrate his chest, while his friend was sustained leg injuries. The mortar shell also killed a cat nearby.

The head of the local emergency unit told Ynet that three shells exploded in an area between the Thai workers' houses and the cowshed. He said several bystanders suffered shock but refused to be taken to the hospital.



The official added that the workers feared for their lives and that after the incident the residents were told to go into the shelters.

"We heard three explosions and immediately understood that it was in the kibbutz," said Yoram from the local emergency unit.


"It took us a few minutes to pinpoint the landing sites Later we will convene all the members and give instructions for the next few hours," he said.




Did technological failure cause soldier's death?

An initial probe shows that IDF soldier Nadav Rotenberg died during a clash with terrorists Friday as result of a friendly fire incident stemming from a technological failure.



The data fed into the mortar launching system used by forces during the incident were accurate and were checked twice before firing, the inquiry showed. A team of experts set up by IDF Southern Command Chief Tal Russo will look into the circumstances of the tragic incident in more depth in the coming days.

The initial probe showed that the failure apparently affected one of the computerized systems that aim the fire. As it turned out, a different mishap in the system caused some shells to deviate off course during a training session a few months ago.



Until the IDF finds a way to ensure no similar mishaps repeat, the advanced computerized system, which is usually accurate, will not be used.



The system in question, Keshet, enables troops to fire mortar shells quickly and at a great rate – some 16 shells per minute. The system's usual accuracy allows the army to utilize it against terrorists operating within civilian areas or near IDF forces. Keshet had been used by the IDF for the past six years and had proven effective in combating small, elusive terrorist cells. The three previous mishaps associated with the system resulted from human error.

Friday's incident, which killed one soldier, also left four troops wounded, including an officer who sustained moderate injuries. Officials realized early on that the soldiers were hurt by friendly fire, after doctors at the hospital removed shrapnel from the victims' bodies. The terrorists involved in the clash used the mayhem and darkness to flee the scene.




http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4010527,00.html


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4010560,00.html


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4010605,00.html