Several days of fighting in Gaza, along the Egyptian border, have left nearly 40 Palestinians dead. The Israelis are destroying over a hundred houses along the border that are used, or could be used, for tunnels from Egypt that enable weapons and bomb making materials to be smuggled in. The deaths of 13 Israeli soldiers to roadside bombs recently galvanized the army to shut down the tunnel system. This had not been done before because it meant destroying hundreds of homes along the border. As if on cue, the UN condemned the destruction of the houses, but not the illegal smuggling of weapons and bomb making materials into Gaza. Israelis ignored the UN resolution, but the Palestinians hoped this might be a step closer to European or UN sanctions on Israel. This would hurt the Israeli economy, force many Israelis to emigrate and bring Palestinians one step closer to their goal of destroying Israel for good.
