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Day 16: 3 Paratroopers Killed; Israeli Airlines Get Boost; Bloomberg Visits; EU Condemns Hamas

by TheTower.org Staff |

The 16th day of Operation Protective Edge is over. It also marks the end of the fifth day of ground operations.

Three more soldiers were killed today, bringing the death toll to 32. The Jerusalem Post reports:

Three IDF paratroopers were killed when Palestinian terrorists detonated a bomb in their vicinity in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

The three men have been named as Lt. Paz Eliyahu, 22, from Kibbutz Evron, who was posthumously promoted from the rank of second-lieutenant; St.-Sgt. Li Mat, 19, from Eilat, who was posthumously promoted from the rank of sergeant; and St.-Sgt. Shahar Dauber, 20, from Kibbutz Ginegar, who was posthumously promoted from the rank of sergeant.

Another 32 soldiers were wounded on Wednesday.

Israeli airlines El Al and Arkia are reporting an increase in business due to cancelled flights.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg flew to Israel yesterday to show that travel to Israel was safe, and to show his solidarity with the people of Israel. Bloomberg’s trip was triggered by a 24 hour ban imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration against American airlines flying to Ben-Gurion Airport, which was put in place after a rocket fell nearby.

A Thai farm worker in Israel’s south was the third civilian fatality of rocket and mortar fire from Gaza this month. Yair Farjoun, the head of the Ashkelon Regional Council, said, “We feel deep sadness by the death of the migrant worker… We send our condolences to the victim’s family and continue to give our backing to the IDF and the security forces.”

The 28 European Union foreign ministers issued a statement yesterday: “The EU strongly condemns the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel by Hamas and militant groups in the Gaza Strip, directly harming civilians. These are criminal and unjustifiable acts. The EU calls on Hamas to immediately put an end to these acts and to renounce violence.” The statement also called on Hamas to disarm.

An Israel attack on a Gaza hospital, after patients had been evacuated, was precipitated by Hamas’ illegal practice of using human shields in an effort to extend immunity to its personnel.

A British MP expressed his solidarity with Hamas. David Ward MP, a Liberal Democrat, said that if he lived in Gaza, he would “probably” also fire rockets at Israel. He had previously been suspended from the party for questioning the existence of Israel.

David Horovitz of the Times of Israel examined the danger presented by the terror tunnels that Hamas has built. He expressed concern over the possibility that the tunnels would be a means to launch a “mega-attack” against Israel.

[Photo: Israel Defense Forces / Flickr ]

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