The devastating death toll suffered by the IDF in Gaza Strip on Sunday served as a reminder for the importance of Operation Protective Edge. Thirteen soldiers were killed to prevent civilian casualties in Israel. Each of the tunnels that will be uncovered in the Shujaiyya neighborhood in Gaza City in the next few days was likely dug with aim of executing a terror attack on the Israeli homefront; and for each fallen soldier we might have seen several Israelis killed in the communities adjacent to the border. For two decades, Israel has somewhat accepted civilian casualties as a result or rocket fire or terror attacks, but it has had a tough time accepting the loss of soldiers on the front line. Despite the heartbreaking pain over these soldiers' deaths, Operation Protective Edge has, in a way, set things straight -- soldiers protecting civilians, not vice versa. In that respect, the Golani Brigade has always been at the forefront -- the first to fight and first to pay the price. This has been true for the Yom Kippur War, for the first and second Lebanon wars, for Operation Defensive Shield and for Operation Cast Lead, and this was true on Sunday as well. The Golani Brigade was the last to enter Gaza this time, but naturally, it was assigned the most complex and dangerous mission. Sunday saw the brigade undertake a dual effort: on the front line, fighting in Gaza; and on the homefront, preparing for 13 funerals. Golani Brigade Commander Col. Rasan Alian, who was injured Sunday and hospitalized in the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, was constantly briefed about the situation on the ground. Alian had initially refused to leave his troops for medical treatment, and once in the hospital he insisted on returning to the field. Come Sunday evening, Alian was more determined than ever to return to Gaza, not only because he felt the need to lead his troops, but over his desire to escape the army of MKs who descended on the hospital, seeking to use him for public relations ploys. Alian and Golani are both likely to face considerable battles in the days ahead. The IDF knew that the troops going into Shujaiyya would encounter fierce fighting as the neighborhood, which is riddled with command posts, tunnels and rocket launchers, is valuable to Hamas. Still, once the fighting is over, the IDF would have to investigate its own decisions, to see whether the incursion into this Hamas stronghold was not overly predictable, making the routes, destinations, and the amount of military vehicles venturing into the area into easy targets. Another thing that should be reviewed is the use of M-113 "Cheetah" armored personnel carriers in the mission. These APCs -- one of which was hit on Sunday -- have been criticized in the past for being too outdated for deployment in Gaza, as they are vulnerable to the Kornet anti-tank missiles that have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip by the hundreds over the past few years. The number of casualties caused rumors to run rampant across social media platforms, setting new records of madness and revulsion -- especially when sources close to the Military Rabbinate circulated photos of coffins being prepared for burial. There is only a short distance between such photos and public panic, and it might even be enough to turn the public's support for the operation into opposition. In that respect, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz did the right thing by holding a short press briefing on Sunday to calmly and clearly convey information. Hamas is in dire straits The rumors, some of which may have reached the families prior to the official notice, was something the IDF had to deal with on Sunday, along with the issues rising on the Palestinian side. The high civilian death toll in Shujaiyya and the international attention it garnered may affect the international legitimacy lent to the Israeli operation. The humanitarian cease-fire, the formation of a field hospital at Erez crossing, and the close collaboration between Israel and the U.N. agencies in Gaza Strip are meant not only to assist the Palestinian population, but also to abate international criticism. From a legal standpoint Israel has nothing to worry about, several experts said Sunday, as it made sure to warn the residents of Shujaiyya prior to the incursion, asking them -- via leaflets, phone calls, and the Palestinian media -- to evacuate their homes so that no harm would come to them. Hamas, on the other hand, had ordered them to stay there, using them as human shields. Hamas seeks to use the high civilian death toll, as well as the soldiers' death, to its advantage; but had that been enough to give Hamas the "victory image" is desires, it would have sought a cease-fire on Sunday night. Despite Hamas' achievements, which reflect greater operational endurance than Israel had initially given it credit for, Hamas is facing severe strategic distress -- it has no lifeline to grab on to, and the only mediator at its disposal is Egypt, which is openly hostile to it. Cairo refuses to involve Hamas' political leader Khaled Mashaal in the cease-fire talks, as it blames his for hindering the lull achieved last week; and it further demands that Hamas holds its fire before any of its demands -- especially opening the Rafah crossing and having the Palestinian Authority transfer the necessary funds to pay Hamas' employees' wages -- are even discussed. Israel believes that if Hamas could be reassured that these demands would be revisited in the future, it would agree to a cease-fire. It is likely that this will be the focus of the current Egyptian efforts, but the path to formulating a lull is still riddled with hurdles and therefore the operation is likely to continue for several more days, during which the international pressure on Israel will likely grow. Paradoxically, while Israel has, from the very beginning, maintained that "quiet equals quiet," it now seeks to continue the operation to note additional operational achievements, especially regarding the destruction of terror tunnels. The events of the past few days and Hamas' tenacious fighting in Gaza Strip should have alleviated even the last skeptic's concerns regarding the critical necessity of dealing with the threat posed by terror tunnels. Failing to do so now may see this threat rise again in the future, and the next operation may exact a heavier price.
