An Israeli soldier, identified as Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib, 21, was killed in his military jeep while patrolling along the northern Gaza border Wednesday, by an anti-tank guided missile fired by Palestinian resistance fighters in Gaza.
In addition to killing Tabib, the missile injured two other soldiers and a civilian who was with them in the jeep.
Tabib was set to be released from the Israeli army next month, after serving his three year term. All Israelis are required to serve three years in the military when they turn 18. Most of the soldiers spend their service as part of the military occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
The Palestinian Territories: the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights, have been under Israeli martial law since 1967. All aspects of the lives of Palestinians living in these Territories are subject to the jurisdiction of the Israeli military.
On Thursday morning, hundreds of mourners attended Tabib’s funeral in the military cemetery in his hometown of Elyakim.
He is the sixth Israeli to be killed by the Palestinian resistance during the current escalation that began Monday May 10th. During the same time period, 69 Palestinians have been killed, 17 of them children, including toddlers and babies as young as 4 months old. Over 400 Palestinians have been wounded by Israeli forces, many of them seriously.
