The investigation into last week's border skirmish in which Staff Sgt. Netanel Moshiashvili was killed was quick and relatively straightforward. The terrorist who killed him had used a specific method to evade the forces pursuing him. This method is well known to the Israel Defense Forces. With the exception of this specific method, the incident did not deviate from the types of events that have become routine along the Gaza border. Over the last year, dozens of such incidents have occurred along the border fence, and in most cases the Palestinians trying to cross into Israel turned out not to be terrorists, but civilians seeking work. That is why the IDF tries to avoid firing at border infiltrators before determining their identity, or before they fully cross the fence. In many instances, warning shots are enough to prompt a full withdrawal. On Friday, a terrorist managed to clear the fence and travel some 100 meters into Israel. The lookouts and troops reacted quickly. They closed in on him, with Golani soldiers mere meters away. He was hiding in a bush and could not be identified. He surprised them when he emerged from the bushes and fired at Moshiashvili at close range, killing him, before being killed himself. The investigation into the incident revealed that although the terrorist belonged to the Islamic Jihad, he had operated alone and of his own volition. He was most likely trying to infiltrate one of the Israeli towns near the border, probably to carry out a terror attack. In order to prevent more terrorists from tricking the IDF in the same way, troops will have to open fire at border infiltrators more frequently and less selectively from now on, at least for a while. This could result in the deaths of innocent people. Friday's incident put Gaza back in the headlines, after a relatively calm period. Since the last round of fighting, in March, Gaza's Hamas rulers have refrained from escalating tensions with Israel, and have also reined in the smaller terror organizations in the territory. This is supported by the relatively low number of rocket and mortar shell attacks against southern Israel. The only exception is the rate of border skirmishes, which has not diminished. Moshiashvili was the first IDF casualty in Gaza since January 2011, when Sgt. Nadav Rotenberg was killed by friendly fire. The last IDF soldier to be killed by Gaza terrorists was Maj. Eliraz Peretz, in March 2010. Two years and two months of victories, 26 months of iron-like defense, is an impressive accomplishment by the Southern Command and the Gaza Division. This accomplishment loses some of its significance in light of last Friday's incident, but it is still extremely important in the larger context of the ongoing confrontation in the south. This open-ended conflict obligates the IDF to maintain its power of deterrence, and in the event of a clash, to win unequivocal offensive and defensive victories.
