In Israel's first military fatality since pulling out of the Gaza Strip in September, an Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed Wednesday in a shootout with armed Palestinians in the northern West Bank village of Kfar Mirka, near Jenin.
The soldier was identified as 20-year-old Sgt. Yonatan Evron from Rishon Letzion. He will be laid to rest on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident occurred when IDF forces entered the village to arrest a wanted Hamas gunman, who surrendered without resistance. After the soldiers transferred him into a military jeep, they noticed suspicious movement nearby and opened fire.
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Palestinians returned fire, and Evron sustained a head wound in the ensuing crossfire. He was treated at the scene, but died from his wounds shortly after, while being transported by helicopter to the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.
The IDF promoted Evron posthumously.
The assailants fled the scene. Soldiers combing the area found a Kalashnikov assault rifle covered in blood and the IDF believes one of the wanted gunmen was hit by IDF fire.
Earlier Wednesday morning, IDF forces arrested an Islamic Jihad militant in the Qabatiyeh refugee camp south of Jenin, and another wanted Palestinian in Kfar Beit Rima north of Ramallah.
During the raid on Qabatiyeh, Palestinians threw three explosive devices at the troops. No injuries or damages were reported in that incident.
A Qassam rocket landed in an open field north of the Gaza Strip late Tuesday night. A mortar shell was also fired into Israeli territory.
No injuries were reported. IDF launched artillery fire toward the area from which the attacks originated.
For the past several weeks Hamas has avoided launching Qassam rockets at Israel, but the movement vowed to avenge the death of one of its members? death in an Israel Air Force missile strike in the Northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
The attack was aimed at a former Fatah militant Hassan al-Madhoun, but also killed Hamas operative Fawzi Abu al-Qarea. IDF officials admitted Wednesday that there was no intelligence on the Hamas militant?s presence in the car that was hit.
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