Ben Kobani was murdered yesterday by Hamas terrorists east of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. He was part of a Golani infantry brigade conducting operations against terrorists. He was 20 years old.

The incident occurred around 9 A.M., close to the village of Abisan. The IDF force had entered the Gaza Strip several hours earlier and pushed about one kilometer into the Strip from the border fence. It faced heavy resistance. One of the units on the flanks, operating in the village’s built-up area, came under fire from Palestinian gunmen at close range. Initial debriefings at the Gaza Division headquarters yesterday suggest Kobani was killed by a single bullet that struck him in the shoulder, even though he was wearing a bullet-resistant vest. Kobani died en route to Soroka Medical Center, Be’er Sheva.

During the exchanges of fire, the Golani unit managed to kill one of the Hamas gunmen.

During a separate incident in the same area, IDF soldiers hit a group of Hamas gunmen who had fired an anti-tank missile at them. There were no casualties to the IDF force.

Around noon, an IDF attack helicopter fired missiles at a group of gunmen, wounding some of them. Palestinian sources said 10 were injured, mostly members of Islamic Jihad.

He began his military career with a stint in the military prison. When he was inducted, he demanded to be assigned to the tough Golani Brigade. The clerks wanted to assign him to a softer job. He refused. He obstinately disobeyed the order to go with the others not assigned to Golani. He did some jail time for refusing to obey an order but eventually got his wish and was assigned to Golani. He was fighting with Golani when he was killed.

The Israeli Left will not be honoring Kobani’s willingness to do jail time to win a spot on the front lines. They encourage soldiers to refuse military service. They cheer when leftists go to jail rather than serve in the Israeli Defense Forces. They seek to create enough mutiny so that Israel will have no choice but to capitulate.

Mordecai adds: Drive-by journalists, so quick to glorify Jihadis, rarely report the heroism of soldiers who die defending the West. They avoid any uplifting story that may galvanize civilian support for the war. On October 22, 2007, President Bush will present the Congressional Medal of Honor to LT Michael P. Murphy’s parents. LT Murphy is a true hero. Watch the MSM present him as a victim of the Bush administration.

Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) Lt. Michael P. Murphy, 29, from Patchogue, NY. Murphy was killed by enemy forces during a reconnaissance mission, Operation Redwing, June 28, 2005. Murphy lead a four-man team tasked with finding a key Taliban leader in the mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan, when they came under fire from a much larger enemy force with superior tactical position. Mortally wounded while exposing himself to enemy fire, Murphy knowingly left his position of cover to get a clear signal in order to communicate with his headquarters. While being shot at repeatedly, Murphy calmly provided his unit’s location and requested immediate support for his element. He returned to his cover position to continue the fight until finally succumbing to his wounds.