A roadside bomb was detonated yesterday morning against an Israel Defense Force patrol on the Israel side of the Gaza Strip security fence, north of the Israeli Kibbutz Kissufim. One noncommissioned officer was killed, one officer was severely wounded and two soldiers were lightly wounded in the incident. The wounded were evacuated to the Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.

The attack was filmed by Hamas TV cameras and immediately telecast on Hamas TV, and shown on all Israel TV news stations last night.

The Israel Air Force responded immediately with a targeted attack on a group of Hamas terrorists in the nearby Gaza village of Chan Yunis. However, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak conducted a press briefing near the attack to announce that a much larger Israeli reprisal was planned. At the same time, Israeli government sources indicated that the Israeli reprisal would not occur until U.S. presidential envoy George Mitchell was still in Israel.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com

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