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Day 45 – Hamas Chiefs Killed; Four Beheaded in Sinai; Record Number of Rockets Launched

by TheTower.org Staff |

Today was the forty-fifth day of Operation Protective Edge.

The Tower reported today on the killing of three top Hamas commanders: Raed al-Attar, Mohammed Abu Shamala, and Mohammad Barhoum. The IDF’s carefully planned air strike has raised fear among Hamas’ leadership of a grave betrayal from within its ranks.

Jihadists are suspected of beheading four men in the Sinai near the border with Israel earlier this week. Their corpses were found yesterday. The strength of the jihadists in the Sinai is of concern to Israel because “Israel lies sandwiched directly between Egypt and Syria, where ISIS has been gaining strength.”

In response to the attack on Hamas commander Mohammad Deif, a night before his colleagues were killed, Hamas launched over 168 rockets into Israel on Wednesday – the highest number for a 24-hour period so far recorded.

At a news conference Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s relations with the United States are “stronger than what is being said. We received support and I praise Obama for it.”

The IDF released a declassified report documenting Hamas’ extensive use of human shields to protect its military assets. The IDF’s website describes the contents of the report: “The report shows Hamas’ use of UN facilities, schools, graveyards, mosques and power plants, among other civilian areas. According to the report, Hamas has launched above 1,600 rockets from civilian sites.”

At a press conference today, United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel explained the danger that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) posed to the United States. But when he was asked if the fact that the United States was opposed to ISIS meant that it was on “the same page” as Syria, Hagel answered that “Syria is very much a central part of the problem” in the region.”

[Photo: idfnadesk / YouTube]

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