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| By israelinsider staff September 24, 2004 |
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Tiferet Tratner, 24, was killed Friday morning when a mortar shell fired by Palestinian terrorists landed on her home in Neve Dekalim, part of the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the southern Gaza Strip. One hit her house, mortally wounding her in the head. Another woman was lightly wounded. The house sustained heavy damage.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the shelling, the first time that the frequent mortar attacks on Israeli communities in Gaza have proven fatal.
The critically wounded young woman was transported to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba with severe head wounds, MDA said. Her death was announced shortly after.
As the wounded were being evacuated, Arab terrorists fired several more mortars at the settlement.
Residents of the adjacent Arab city Khan Yunis said IDF tanks opened fire on the town shortly afterwards. An army spokesman said that its forces were targeting the source of the mortar fire.
Tiferet, a Jerusalemite, moved to Gush Katif several years ago. Eli Moses, father of the family that adopted Tiferet when she moved to Neve Dekalim, told The Jerusalem Post that Tiferet decided to make her home there after completing her national service in Gush Katif and Netzarim. Describing her as a talented, warm and intelligent woman, Moses said, "everyone was touched by her manner."
Tiferet volunteered and assisted elder members of the community and also worked in Neve Dekalim's petting zoo, the Post reported. Mozes said that Tiferet's sister lives in Netazarim. Tratner, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was buried Friday.
Moses blamed Prime Minister Sharon and said he was directly responsible for her death. "Just as Tiferet chose to live here despite the constant mortar fire, we will not be moved from here. The mortar that hit Tiferet this morning had the Prime Minister's name on it," he said.
A spokesman for the Gaza Coast regional council, Eran Sternberg, accused Prime Minister Sharon of "continuing to incite to murder the residents of Gush Katif with his wink to terrorists that what compensation advances won't achieve, mortar shells will."
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