JERUSALEM (JTA) — Five Hamas operatives who infiltrated Israel by sea were killed in a gunfight with soldiers at an army base near the Gaza border, the Israeli military said.
An Israeli soldier was lightly wounded in the crossfire at the Zikim base on Tuesday evening. The attackers, who Hamas identified as members of its naval commando unit, reportedly landed on the nearby Zikim beach.
Area residents were asked to stay in their homes during the incident.
The infiltration came amid rocket fire from Gaza on southern and central Israel and on the first day of Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
Meanwhile, an abandoned parachute was found near the Yad Mordechai Kibbutz near Ashkelon. Israeli soldiers are combing the area looking for the parachutist, according to reports.
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