Sharp criticism was directed today (Thursday) at the IDF's open-fire regulations fire that t after the soldiers who responded to the attempt by terrorists to cross into Israeli territory from Gaza did not fire at the terrorists until they were fired upon first.
The IDF statement stated that the soldiers, despite identifying the suspects, did not open fire. "The IDF force that carried out scans in the area of the fence identified a number of suspects who approached the border from the Gaza Strip and moved towards Israeli territory in an attempt to cross the barrier area in the Rafah area. The force that carried out scans in the area encountered the terrorists who opened fire on them, and fired back at the terrorists."
Channel 13 News correspondent Almog Boker wondered why the air force did not launch a strike against the terrorists and thereby prevent the death of Warrant Officer Zeed Mazarib.
Boker wrote: "If it wasn't clear until today, and it's sad that it was, it must be clear from now on: Every Gazan who approaches the fence, and I don't care if he is 'involved' or 'uninvolved', should understand that he is not coming home. Attack from the air and end the incident."
He added: "We should not endanger our forces. Attack from the air. Destroy them. Today we paid a heavy price for [not doing] it. No more. What exactly are we waiting for? For the squad armed with Kalashnikovs and RPGs to arrive in a townand murder more residents. It's either them or us. Shouldn't this have been clear already???"
Another journalist, Ofra Lax, wrote, "I've been racking my brain since this morning about the IDF spokesperson's announcement that the terrorists opened fire on them first. The instructions on opening fire are shocking. They were never appropriate for the Gaza border and today they certainly aren't."