An Israeli military jeep was blown up on the Gaza Strip border on Thursday after apparently running over a landmine, a Palestinian witness said. One soldier was killed and another was badly wounded.
According to Reuters, witnesses said the blast ripped through the jeep at Kissufim border crossing, and that two tanks and an ambulance rushed to the scene. A spokesman for the Islamic Jihad group claimed responsibility for the attack. The group's armed wing "al Quds Brigades" announced the attack was in revenge for the killing of Yousef al-Simiri, an Islamic Jihad commander whom Israeli special forces killed early Wednesday.
Following the attack, Israeli forces moved into the Strip, exchanging fire with Palestinians near the town of Deir Al-Balah. An Israeli air strike in the north of the territory killed one Palestinian and wounded another, medics said.
