Four Israeli Soldiers Murdered in Attack on IDF Checkpoint in Northern Gaza Strip

June 8, 2003

Three IDF reserve soldiers and one warrant officer were killed this morning in a terrorist attack on an IDF outpost in the Erez industrial area situated in the Northern Gaza Strip. Four more soldiers were wounded in the attack, one moderately, and three others lightly. The families of the casualties have been notified.

An initial investigation indicates that three terrorists, wearing IDF uniforms and armed with Kalashnikovs and grenades, infiltrated the outpost by first passing through the checkpoint for Palestinian laborers on their way to work in the Erez industrial zone. They then crossed the fence and the wall separating the outpost from the industrial zone.

Having reached the entrance of the outpost, the terrorists opened fire and threw grenades at a warrant officer who was standing outside, killing him. The terrorists continued to fire and killed two soldiers who were on guard duty at the outpost gates.

The terrorists then managed to penetrate further into the outpost. They stood at a post from which they fired toward the outpost’s soldiers. One soldier was killed and four more were injured.

Soldiers from the outpost’s first response team acted quickly, identified the terrorists’ location, and killed them.

It should be noted that since the beginning of the current conflict, there have been 6 terrorist attacks at the Erez crossing, and 3 terrorist attacks at other crossings in the Gaza Strip, including the attack at the Karni crossing two months ago in which two Israeli civilians were killed.

Source: IDF