JERUSALEM (JTA) — A soldier was seriously wounded as an Israel Defense Forces patrol came under attack on the Gaza border, leading to an exchange of fire in which the IDF killed a Hamas commander.
A Hamas sniper opened fire on an IDF patrol Wednesday morning, according to Israeli reports. The IDF returned tank fire, killing Tayseer al-Ismary, 33, a Hamas military commander. IDF fire also wounded four others.
The incident follows an exchange of fire between Israel and Gaza on Friday, when a rocket was fired into Israel from Gaza and Israel conducted an airstrike over the coastal strip in response. That exchange was the first fighting between the sides since the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas this summer.
