Hannibal procedure

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon visits soldiers at an Iron Dome Missile Defense system battery, on July 25, 2014, on the 18th day of Operation Protective Edge. (Photo credit: Ariel Hermoni/MOD/Flash90)

A single incident at the weekend – the reported capture by Hamas on Friday of an Israeli soldier through a tunnel – illustrated in stark fashion the layers of deception Israel has successfully cast over its attack on Gaza.
On Sunday, as the army indicated it would start limited withdrawals, Israel claimed Hadar Goldin was dead, possibly buried in a collapsed tunnel as Israel bombarded the area in which he was seized. His family said he was being left behind.