Two members of an eight-man E1 Fatah saboteur unit and an Israeli army officer were killed during a 24-hour battle west of Jericho which ended yesterday morning, Israeli officials reported today. Lt. Col. Tzvi Offer, who headed the patrol which pursued and trapped the intruders, was fatally wounded in the encounter and died before a helicopter could bring him to a hospital. He was 37 and the father of four.
The clash began when the patrol sighted movement in the area and opened fire. The patrol members immediately mounted the surrounding hilltops and demanded, through loudspeakers, that the marauders surrender. When no answer was received, the patrol members entered the area and began combing it. One injured saboteur and two others gave themselves up. The hunt was halted at nightfall and resumed the next morning in a cave to cave search. Two bodies were found, along with an injured intruder. As the search was continued, fire was suddenly opened from one of the caves and Lt. Col. Offer was mortally wounded. A huge quantity of arms and explosives, as well as Jordanian banknotes and civilian clothes were found, indicating the intruders planned a lengthy series of sabotage acts.
In other weekend incidents, a hand grenade was thrown at an Israeli army patrol on the main street of Gaza, with no casualties: three explosive charges were detonated yesterday near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, again without damage or injuries; and an Israeli border policeman was injured today when his jeep hit a mine in the northern Galilee.
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