by Hillel Fendel and Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) IDF Sergeant Ben Koavni of Hadera died in the line of duty Wednesday during a house-to-house search for wanted terrorists among the narrow alleyways of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Located near the site of the former Gush Katif capital, N’vei Dekalim, that was destroyed in the 2005 Disengagement, Khan Younis is a hotbed of terrorist activity and a favorite Kassam rocket launching area.

One terrorist was killed, three more were wounded and 15 of the terrorists were caught and arrested by Koavni’s fellow Golani soldiers in the operation. No other Israeli soldiers were injured.

The battle began when a terrorist cell fired an anti-tank rocket at the Golani Brigade unit, opening an exchange of gunfire that was heavy at times. A sniper’s bullet struck Koavni when the 20-year-old IDF officer crossed the narrow alleyways during his search for the fugitives.

Gave New Meaning to “Giving One’s Life for One’s Country” Upon enlisting in the army, Koavni said he wished to be drafted to Golani. He was turned down, and then refused to leave the recruitment office until his life-long dream to join the brigade would come true. He was placed in jail for a few days, then released from the army altogether. Later, he enlisted again, and this time he was placed in the beloved Golani unit, in which he met his death. Ben is survived by his parents, Rachamim and Margalit, his 27-year-old married sister Sarit, and his 17-year-old brother Ido.

Operations similar to the one carried out Tuesday night and Wednesday of late have thwarted a significant number of planned terrorist attacks. Palestinian Authority sources report that the Israeli forces took over several buildings, shaved fields to prevent terrorists from hiding in them, and made several arrests.

“We are engaged in a struggle for the border fence,” an IDF source told Ynet. “The terrorists are trying to weaken our hold there so that they can carry out attacks against Israel, and our job is to prevent them from doing so. We are engaged in these dangerous activities on a near-daily basis. The terrorists are improving and rearming all the time.”

200 Terrorists Killed This Year The soldier killed today was the sixth killed by Gaza terrorists since Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza more than two years ago, and the second since January 2007. Some 200 Gaza terrorists have been killed by IDF forces this year.

Seven Israeli civilians have also been killed by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza since the Disengagement, including three this year.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2007 and is filed under news. You can leave a response.