A large explosive was discovered and safely neutralized late this morning near Midreshet HaDarom (a study institute and guest house) in Gush Katif, Gaza. Arab residents of the nearby Hamawasi area are assumed to have placed the bomb along the well-traveled road leading to the beach. A Midreshet guest heard a cellular phone ringing incessantly, finally arousing his suspicions sufficiently for him to call the army. Bomb sappers worked for several hours to safely neutralize the bomb, and found that it had been designed to be detonated by the ring of the phone; a hitch caused it to malfunction. The bomb contained metal balls and nails, for the purpose of maximizing injuries. A similar explosive was placed in the same location about six weeks ago, and it also caused no damage. Arabs hurled some 20 grenades at IDF positions in Gush Katif last night; no one was hurt.

Three more victims of yesterday’s murderous attacks were buried today: Sgt. Danny Yifrach, 19, of Jerusalem, who was murdered in Nahariya, was buried at Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery this afternoon. Yaakov Hatzav, 42, of Hamra in the Jordan Valley, who drove the teachers’ van from Beit She’an yesterday, was laid to rest in Kibbutz Alonim, southeast of Haifa. Moral Derfler of Mevaseret Zion was also buried this afternoon in Kibbutz Nachshon, between Jerusalem and Ashdod, and his cousin Dr. Yigal Goldstein, 44, of Jerusalem, who accompanied him yesterday, will be buried tomorrow.

One high-ranking Palestinian terrorist was killed, two were very seriously wounded, and two more were also hurt when Israel Air Force helicopters bombed a Palestinian military installation near Jenin last night. The attack was the sixth Israeli retaliatory attack since yesterday afternoon; it was the only one to take place at night, and the only one to exact a price in terrorists’ lives.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 and is filed under news.