By Aryeh Savir
JERUSALEM (TNA) – Dror Hanin, 37, a father of three, the first Israeli casualty of Operation ‘Protective Edge’, was killed Tuesday, July 15, by Hamas mortar fire as he was on another volunteer mission to bring food to soldiers on the Gazan border. He had organized food packages and small gifts for the soldiers made by children, but did not have a chance to conclude his mission.
Hanin was described by all who knew him as someone who was ready to volunteer and help whenever and wherever necessary.
His brother Yossi described a person who was everywhere, all the time. “It’s hard to define Dror,” he told the IDF Radio, “Dror was everywhere. He would offer help even if it wasn’t required, that’s the way he was. He was constantly looking to do good. If you would ask him ‘what can I do for you?’ he would reply: ‘No, what can I do for you’.”
The Fire Department issued a notice of condolences, as Hanin was a volunteer firefighter. “He was a real fighter and a volunteer at heart, the first to initiate and act, dominant and active at the fire station in Beit Aryeh.” Hanin was an active firefighter for the past three years, involved in several life-saving operations.
A local Chabad Rabbi described him as someone who was constantly offering to help. “You know how they say that God takes the best – this is the case now. He was always offering to help, calling and asking what is needed.”
In other war news, as a prelude to the intensification of air strikes and a possible ground incursion into Gaza the IDF has again dropped leaflets over Beit Lahiya, Saja’iya and Zeitune in northern Gaza, ordering the civilians there to leave their homes so that they are not harmed by the escalating warfare in the area. The IDF has further sent recorded messages.
In the leaflets the IDF states that: “Despite the cease fire, Hamas and other terror groups have continued to fire, and therefore the IDF intends to attack terror targets in these areas. From these areas rockets are launched at Israel. For your safety, we ask you to leave immediately and move towards Gaza City. The IDF has no intention of harming you or your families. This evacuation is meant to save your lives. Anyone who does not heed these instructions endangers himself and his family.” The deadline was set at 8:00 Wednesday morning.
The IDF dropped similar leaflets two days ago. At the time, Hamas urged Palestinians to ignore these warnings, hoping that they will continue to serve as human shields.
An IDF spokesman announced that 39 terror targets were attacked over the past night, 100 over the past 24 hours, and 1750 in total since the beginning of Operation ‘Protective Edge’. The targets included four terrorists, 47 hidden rocket launchers, command centers, terror tunnels and weapons caches.
Tuesday night night, following another meeting at the Ministry of Defense, PM Benyamin Netanyahu stated that: “We decided that Israel would respond positively to Egypt’s proposal for a ceasefire. I said then that if Hamas and Islamic Jihad did not accept the Egyptian ceasefire and continued to fire at Israel’s cities, I – along with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon – would order the IDF to take strong action against them – and this is what we did this afternoon. The air force bombed many terrorist targets in Gaza and these attacks will continue.”
“Hamas chose to continue the campaign and it will pay for this decision. Whoever tries to attack the citizens of Israel, Israel will strike at him. When there is no ceasefire – our answer is fire.”
“It would have been preferable to resolve this by diplomacy and we tried to do so when we acceded to the Egyptian ceasefire proposal. But Hamas left us no choice but to broaden and intensify the campaign against it. This is what we will do until we achieve our goal – the restoration of quiet for Israel’s citizens while inflicting a significant blow on the terrorist organizations. We will do everything so that you and the State of Israel may quickly enjoy renewed quiet.”
Meanwhile, in the United States, the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee approved a defense spending bill on Tuesday that will provide $621.6 million for Israeli missile defense, including $351 million for the Iron Dome system that intercepts short-range rockets and mortars, AFP reported. Congress appropriated $235 million to the Iron Dome project last year, the report noted. The White House had requested about $176 million for the system for 2015, but lawmakers doubled the amount. Congress often increases funding for Israeli security projects sought by the president. The funding is part of the administration’s request of $3.1 billion for military assistance to Israel, the world’s largest beneficiary of U.S. foreign aid. “It works,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the subcommittee.
The Iron Dome anti-rocket system has been successful in shooting down rockets and preventing Israeli deaths with a 90% success rate, an improvement of the 84% success rate achieved during Operation ‘Pillar of Defense’.
The IDF deployed its ninth Iron Dome battery this week, after it was scheduled to be prepared only in a few months and was produced in record time.
In the Netherlands, Holland’s Tweede Kamer, its House of Representatives, approved a motion to stop the transfer of money it donates to the Palestinian Authority, which is used for terrorists in Israeli prisons. All 148 members voting of the 150 members of the chamber voted in favor of the motion.
“The parliament asserts that since 2011, the Palestinian Authority transfers money to Palestinian convicts in Israeli prisons [and] that these moneys can have a negative effect, in which criminality and terrorism are rewarded,” read the motion which was submitted by the Christian Union and SGP: Reformed Political Party parties.
The lawmakers intend to review budgets submitted by the PA to determine where the funds are going, in advance of approving the transfer of funds.
The Dutch House of Representatives also asked its government to convey its views to the full European Union about the use of European aid money to reward terrorists. The Dutch Senate still has to vote on the measure.
In February of this year the PA announced it would be providing an addition $46 million a year to prisoners who had been released by Israel, including hundreds of murderers of Israeli civilians. As Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) pointed out, the PA cannot even cover its regular monthly budget without Western aid, meaning the West is also indirectly funding those terrorists. However, in 2012 the PA found the funds and paid over $75 million to terrorists in Israeli prisons and $78 million to the families of deceased terrorists, including suicide bombers. Together, these amounts account for over 16% of the annual foreign donations and grants to the PA budget.
Since 2011, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) has been reporting on the PA’s practice of rewarding terrorists and murderers with high salaries. As a result, the PA has been criticized internationally for paying these salaries. Recently, several members of US Congress suggested that the US either cancel its aid to the PA entirely until it ends this practice or that the US deduct from its aid an amount equaling the amount of money the PA spends on terrorist salaries. Norway and Britain have also demanded explanations regarding these payments.
Following the abduction and murder of the three Israeli teens in Gush Etzion last month there have been calls by American law makers to suspend US funding for the PA. In the Senate, Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), have both called for defunding the PA.
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Savir is a staff writer for the Tazpit News Agency in Israel