IDF soldier, terrorist killed in Gaza border gun battle

Golani soldier killed in incident is named as Staff Sgt. Netanel Moshiashvili • Terrorist breaches the security fence along border with Gaza, opens fire on Israeli troops, and is killed by return fire • The plan may have been to abduct an Israeli soldier.

 

An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian terrorist were killed in a gunbattle on Friday that erupted near the southern Gaza border, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

 

The soldier killed in the incident was later identified as Staff Sgt. Netanel Moshiashvili, 21, from Ashkelon who served as a medic in the Golani Brigade. Moshiashvili's funeral was scheduled to take place Friday afternoon at the military cemetery in Ashkelon.

 

The incident began when a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated into Israel early Friday, setting off a shoot-out that left him and Moshiashvili dead, the IDF said.

 

The border clash near Kibbutz Nirim touched off fresh violence in the volatile area neighboring Gaza, which has been largely calm since March. However, last week, two Israeli soldiers, one of whom commanded another Golani company, were wounded from sniper fire in the same area.

 

Friday's exchange of fire began after the terrorist cut through the fence separating the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and southern Israel, prompting Israeli troops to open fire. According to reports, the terrorist succeeded in entering Israel under the cover of early morning fog and was only identified by spotters once he cut through the fence.

 

The terrorist was reportedly planning either to kidnap an Israeli soldier or to perpetrate a larger-scale shooting attack.

 

No group has claimed responsibility for the infiltration, but in a text message sent to journalists, a group from Gaza, the Islamic Jihad, welcomed the attack. It identified the attacker as Ahmad Nassar and called him a "martyr who has carried out the heroic attack."