Seven Israeli soldiers, including a Major and two lieutenants, were killed yesterday when an Egyptian artillery shell scored a direct hit on a military mess hall on the east bank of the Suez Canal. A military spokesman said that apart from the direct hit, Egyptian shelling was relatively light Friday night and Saturday morning. Israel Air Force jets launched three attacks on Egyptian positions in the canal zone yesterday and returned safely to their bases. A military spokesman said the first attack at noon lasted 45 minutes followed by a 100 minute assault beginning at five p.m. local time and a two hour attack at midnight. Israel Air Force jets attacked Egyptian military targets in the Suez Canal zone intermittently for two and a half hours this afternoon and returned safely to their bases.
The heavy death toll in the canal zone following Friday’s ambush slaying made this one of the blackest week-ends in Israel’s history. Four other Israeli soldiers were wounded. A military spokesman identified the dead as Major Dan Shani, 34, of Moshav Asheret; Lieutenants Pinhas Teitelbaum, 24, of Givatayim and David Eisen, 21, of Haifa; Corp. Shmuel Itzkowitz, 21, of Haifa; Corp. David Sasson, of Ofakim; Corp. Shlomo Ossen, of Moshav Gilat and Lance Corp. Yehuda Shitrit. 19, of Yeruham village. Maj. Shani was cited for bravery during the Six-Day War and was inscribed in the Book of Heroes issued by the Society of Bergen Belsen Survivors. Corp. Ossen was the son of a former Deputy Minister of Agriculture. Arab guerrillas fired a Katyusha rocket barrage at Nahal Meshura north of the Dead Sea last night but caused no casualties or damage, a military spokesman said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
