Released for publication:

Golani 12 Battalion Commander (Magad), Shai Siman-Tov, was seriously injured yesterday, after a Gaza tunnel collapsed on him.

Siman-Tov was transported to a hospital for surgery.

Refuah Shleimah

IDF paratroopers foiled an ambush in Gaza on Thursday when they surprised terrorists who had prepared an explosive device to kill them.

Operation Protective Edge entered its 18th day Friday with a significant decline in the number of rocket and missile attacks on Israel and what is perceived as clear signs of a decline in the morale of Hamas.

No IDF casualties were reported overnight, but four soldiers, including two paratroopers were seriously injured. It is not known if the paratroopers were wounded in the same incident in which the combat units foiled the ambush, as explained n the video below.

A Golani battalion commander suffered serious injuries when a terror tunnel collapsed one him.

The IDF carried out more than 130 attacks on Hamas terror targets Thursday, bringing to more than 3,00 the number of actions taken against the Hamas terrorist infrastructure.

Government unity for continuing the counter-terrorist campaign is weakening in the face of new proposals from  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for a ceasefire. Opposition leader Yitzchak Herzog said Friday morning he is in favor of a ceasefire if Hamas accepts it, while most Likud, Jewish Hem and Yisrael Beitenu Knesset Members want the IDF to finish the job and disarm Hamas.

At least one Palestinian Authority Arab  was killed late Thursday night and more than 100 were wounded in a violent march and riot in unprecedented numbers of more than 10,000 protesting Israel’s counter-terrorist war in Gaza.

Unconfirmed reports said that two or possibly three were killed, but Israeli security officials said that that at least one rioter opened fire on police, who responded with rifle shots.

Various organizations and terrorist groups, including Hamas, organized the protest march that began from a U.N.-run village near Ramallah and was met with Israeli police forces near the Kalandia checkpoint in northern Israel

Rioters threw firebombs and rolled burning tires at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Arab sources said live bullets also were used in an effort to break disperse the rioters.

Tensions will be high tomorrow, the last Friday in Ramadan and when tens of thousands of Muslims will try to arrive at the Temple Mount.

The Palestinian Authority previously has failed to mount a massive protest, peaceful or violent, against Israel during the nine-month attempt by  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to resurrect the “peace process.”

The war in Gaza may be the spark that ignites the renewal of the intifada.

Hamas shot at IDF soldiers from the area of an UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun Thursday and prevented civilians from evacuating the area after the IDF gave ample notice to the Red Cross to move people out of the range of danger, the IDF spokesman said in response to attacks that killed at least 10 children and United Nations personnel.

“Hamas continued firing from Beit Hanoun,” the IDF added. The army “responded by targeting the source of the fire. Also today, several rockets launched from Gaza toward Israel fell short and hit Beit Hanoun,” located in northern Gaza and in close proximity to Israel’s Gaza Belt communities.

The United Nations already has confirmed that at least one of those misfired rockets hit the school, and the IDF has not yet determined if soldier’s artillery shells went off course and hit the school.

“Circumstances are still unclear. I strongly condemn this act,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban-Ki moon said in a statement. “Many have been killed – including women and children, as well as UN staff.

“Throughout the day, our staff had been attempting to arrange a humanitarian pause in the hostilities so that civilians could be evacuated,” Ban said.

He “condemned Hamas rocket fire and called on Israel to exercise particular care to avoid any attack on United Nations premises where civilians have taken refuge.”

Given the admission by UNRWA that Hamas used at least two schools to store 20 rockets, which in one case were returned to Hamas and in the other case have “gone missing, the terrorist regime is increasingly coming under fire from the international community.

The incident at Beit Hanoun brought out more urgent calls for a ceasefire, but the growing evidence of Hamas’ guilt makes it harder for the international community to make demands on Israel.

Egyptian soldiers shot and killed a suicide bomber and blew up a vehicle loaded with Grad missiles, its military reported Wednesday.

The suicide bomber was wearing a vest loaded with explosives while approaching the Kerem Shalom crossing. The truck with missiles and launchers was on the Egyptian side of border near Gaza.

Since the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood government last year, Egypt has been at virtual war with hams, outlawing it as a terrorist organization.

The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted a rocket aimed at Eilat Wednesday night as terrorists from the Sinai or Gaza brought the port and tourist capital into the range of attacks.

Hamas launched rockets on Be’er Sheva three hours earlier and earlier in the afternoon, and all of them exploded in open areas.

One person in the Eshkol region near Gaza suffered light wounds from shrapnel in several rockets attacks  Wednesday.

The Iron Dome system intercepted two rockets aimed at Ashkelon, where an electric generating system supplies power to shouter and part of part of central Israel.

Israel reportedly told the United States that it understands the rules and the reasoning behind the FAA ban on US flights to Israel, according to Arad Nir of Israel Channel 2.

Israel reportedly told the US that this situation (of the FAA ban) can’t continue, so in order to resolve it, Israel will need to significantly and disproportionately ramp up its attack on Gaza, and put an immediate stop to all the rocket attacks, thus allowing US flight to Israel to resume.

Nir claims the message was understood and the FAA ban was rescinded.