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| By Israel Insider staff April 4, 2008 |
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Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter's personal assistant was lightly to moderately injured Friday by gunshots fired by one or more Palestinians at the minister's entourage visiting the Nizmit hill in Kibbutz Nir Am in southern Israel.
Matti Gil, 30, of Jerusalem, was injured in the groin, and evacuated to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
"The army of the nation", a new organization affiliated with al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the sniper fire. Hamas claimed Dichter was the target of an assassination attempt, and said they had intelligence that the Minister would be in the area.
Minister Dichter was forced to lay down on the ground with his entourage. He asked everyone to remain calm. After the incident, he tried to put on the best face for the security failure. "the IDF did an excellent job and immediately fired back at the source of the fire until it stopped. Ambulances were dispatched to the area within minutes."
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"I don't know why, but before I started talking, maybe because they were tourists, I told them that if gunshots start they should lie down on the ground, and that the IDF was here and would protect us. And suddenly Palestinians opened fire. I believe it was a sniper."
Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter, leading a tour of Canadian supporters of Israel
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No word on whether the IDF was allowed to go after the source of the fire, or to take retaliatory action. Dichter left the area and went the Barzilai hospital to visit his injured assistant.
After arriving at the hospital to visit his injured assistant, Dichter recounted the Drama in a conversation with Ynet.
"I don't know why, but before I started talking, maybe because they were tourists, I told them that if gunshots start they should lie down on the ground, and that the IDF was here and would protect us. And suddenly Palestinians opened fire. I believe it was a sniper.
"I immediately saw that they were firing at us. I shouted to people to lie down. They were obedient and they all lay down. The IDF fired back at the sources of the fire. It lasted for about 10 minutes, during which we were unable to raise our heads.
"On the side, about 20 meters away from me, I heard Matii Gil, my assistant, screaming. I understood he was hurt. We saw a stain of blood on his trousers. My driver, Tal Mehi, rushed to put a finger on his artery in order to block the blood. Meanwhile, a paramedic from the post ran over to us, blocked his artery and alerted an ambulance. We continued to tend to him until the ambulance arrived. The gunshots stopped. Matti was conscious the entire time."
Dichter told the CIC group about the threat from the Gaza Strip. "I explained to them for half an hour about what was taking place in the Gaza Strip, about the Qassam fire, about the residents' lives here."
The minister's injured assistant kept cool at the hospital. "There is no doubt that my life was saved. Whatever happens, I will overcome. I'm suffering from pain, but it will pass," Gil said.
Several weeks ago, a Grad rocket landed near the minister's house in Ashkelon. He was not at home during the attack. About a month ago, Dichter's security guard was injured at the Sapir College just before the minister's visit.
The minister was hosting a group of managers from the Canada-Israel Committee (CIC), a pro-Israel lobby group, who visited the observation tower in the Gaza vicinity area in order to examine the threat on Israel. They got a first-hand lesson about the great improvement in security brought about by the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the power of Israeli deterrence.
The observation tower, overlooking the northern Gaza Strip and offering views from Ashkelon in Israel to the heart of the Gaza Strip, is a popular hiking destination.
Eddie Azran, the CIC's coordinator in Sderot, led the group which accompanied Minister Dichter and was the first to tend to the injured man.
"We were standing at the observation tower and were briefed by the internal security minister," Azran told Ynet. "There were other groups near us, 80 people in total. Suddenly, a volley of gunshots tore through the hill, and bullets began whistling between our legs.
"We immediately urged everyone to take cover. We heard a guy screaming that he was hurt and couldn?t move. After evacuating everyone and after the army fired back at the source of the gunshots, I ran to my car and took out a first aid kit which I always carry around. Together with the minister's driver, I carried the injured man to a sheltered area.
"We checked for additional injuries and evacuated the group by foot, because it was problematic to approach the cars. I must stress that the Canadians insisted on continuing the tour, and we drove to Sderot. "Now they have a better understanding of the terror we experience here. There were children and adults, Jews and non-Jews. The shooters targeted innocent people."
Earlier in the day, Palestinians fired at farmers in Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha. There were no reports of injuries. Some 30 youths from the Kibbutz Movement arrived at the area Friday morning to assist the farmers in their work. Large army forces secured the activity.
The Israeli farms formerly in Gaza were some of the most productive and profitable in Israel. Since the farmers were expelled from their homes and their greenhouses and farmlands turned over to the Palestinians. They have become launching pads for rocket and mortar attacks on Israel.
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