IDF soldiers killed the mastermind behind a suicide terrorist attack in which a Dimona woman was killed in February. The two suicide terrorists and their dispatcher had all been jailed in Israel – and released – for terrorist activity in the past.

Heavy Gun Battle

The IDF spokesman’s office reported that Border Guard Police, Shin Bet (security service) and special IDF Yamam forces surrounded the house, and demanded that he give himself up. He refused to do so, and instead, shots were fired from inside. Explosions could also be heard from inside the house, believed to be from bombs stored there. After an extended gun battle, an army bulldozer arrived and flattened the house, crushing the Hamas terrorist in the rubble.

Freed Terrorists Committed the Attack

It was later reported that the dead terrorist mastermind, as well as the two suicide killers he dispatched, had previously been jailed for terrorist activity in Israel, but were released. This news took on extra poignancy in light of the recent release of live Hizbullah terrorists in exchange for two dead Israeli soldiers, as well as the ongoing negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit, for whom Hamas demands up to 1,000 jailed terrorists.

Meir Indor of the Almagor Terror Victims Association, a major player in the struggle against releasing Palestinian terrorists from prison, told Arutz-7 that he is drafting a letter to Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Barak, asking them what lessons are being learned from the latest incident regarding the negotiations for Shalit.

The IDF reported that the dead bomb-maker was involved in preparing additional attacks against Israelis when he was killed.

In the lethal attack last February, a Palestinian terrorists blew himself up in the commercial center of Dimona, a Negev city a half-hour south of Be’er Sheva. Resident Lyubav Razdolskaya, 73, was killed in the blast, her husband was seriously wounded, and dozens of others were also hurt.

A second suicide terrorist was injured by his comrade’s explosion. Citizens who approached him to offer help noticed the explosives he was wearing on his person, and ran away. He was then killed by an elite unit police officer, Kobi Mor, who arrived on the scene.

Fatah, the ruling organization of the Palestinian Authority headed by perceived-moderate Mahmoud Abbas, claimed responsibility for the attack at the time. It announced that its terrorists had entered Israel through Sinai, which they had entered the week before from Gaza via the Philadelphi Route, broken down for several days by Gaza residents.

However, in actuality, it was Hamas that perpetrated the attack.