Via the BBC: Israeli troops ‘move into Gaza’
Israeli ground troops have started to enter the Gaza Strip, Israeli military officials have confirmed, a week after the offensive against Hamas began.An Israeli military spokeswoman said the intention was to “take control” of areas from which Palestinian militants have been firing rockets into Israel.
A BBC reporter in Gaza says it appears to be a limited operation with 10 to 15 vehicles crossing the northern border.
CNN reports: Israeli ground troops enter Gaza
Leaflets signed by the commander of the Israeli military were dropped over northern Gaza on Saturday morning, warning residents to “leave the area immediately” to ensure their safety.“Due to the terrorist actions undertaken by terrorist elements from the region of your residences against the state of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces are compelled to respond immediately in the region of your residences. For your safety, you are ordered to leave the area immediately,” the leaflets said.
The geographic area covered by the word “region” was not defined.
Whether this represents an incursion for a specific goal, as the BBC story implies, or is part of a longer ground incursion is unclear (to me, at least).
CNN reports the current casualty figures as follows:
Palestinian medical sources said Saturday that at least 435 people have been killed and 2,285 wounded in Gaza.Sphere: Related Content
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Test
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Here’s the reality: Hamas is a terrorist group that even the Arab world wants destroyed. 80% of the 400 killed in Gaza have been Hamas terrorists — amazing. Here’s the difference for you morons: Israel is targeting terrorists (who are cowards that hide behind their civilian populations) — Hamas is sending its missiles at civilians. See the difference or are you too stupid?
Imagine a Cuban terrorist group that began sending missiles at Miami and other Florida cities. It wouldn’t take 4000 of them (as Hamas has sent at Israel over the past 8 years) — but one or two — before the U.S. would completely level them. Israel has shown remarkable restraint.
Hopefully this ground invasion will root out the evil and give moderate Palestinians a chance at governing, giving Palestinians a chance to live normal lives, and give the Israelis and Palestinians the ability to live as peaceful neighbors.
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
What a mess. Those fake people over there is Israel I mean in stolen Palestine are going to reap what they have sown one day.
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Why is CNN so quick to ask if there were other options for Israel when no one asked if there were other options before the US invaded Iraq?
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Here’s the reality: Hamas is a terrorist group that even the Arab world wants destroyed. 80% of the 400 killed in Gaza have been Hamas terrorists — amazing. Here’s the difference: Israel is targeting terrorists (who are cowards that hide behind their civilian populations) — Hamas is sending its missiles at civilians. For you anti-Israel protestors: DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE???
Imagine a Cuban terrorist group that began sending missiles at Miami and other Florida cities. It would not take 4000 missiles (as Hamas has sent at Israel over the past 8 years) — but one or two — before the U.S. would completely level them. Israel has shown remarkable restraint.
Hopefully this ground invasion will root out the evil and give moderate Palestinians a chance at governing, giving Palestinians a chance to live normal lives, and give the Israelis and Palestinians the ability to live as peaceful neighbors.
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:27 pm
RIJ Stop believing what you hear on the news. Only 4 people dead in Israel and I still haven’t seen any rocket damage over there yet. If they were shooting off that many rockets don’t you think that they would be aiming to kill; yet we have only HEARD of four Israelis being killed. You should know that something is fishy about that. It’s a setup to kill those poor people. They have been targeted by the Israelis because they want that land. But I tell you what, God is not going to sit back and allow Abraham’s other son’s children to continue to be murdered and destroyed. He is going to intervene at His appointed time. The truth is going to come out
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Nan…you’ve got your facts wrong. Israel has no interest in occupying Gaza. They unilaterally left Gaza in August 2005 and gave the Palestinians a chance to govern themselves. Rather than building civil institutions for its people, they instead imposed fundamental Islamic laws, took away rights of women, did nothing to encourage investment — and never once stopped sending missiles at Israeli towns.
The fact that 4 Israelis have been killed in the past week means nothing. Israeli society is terrorized by Hamas. They must be stopped.
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Re: “80% of the 400 killed in Gaza have been Hamas terrorists” — interesting, wonder where you pulled that statistic. But, even if true, the IDF (equipped with the best weaponry money can buy) has killed 80 civilians. Oh, well, they should have stood up to the gangs with guns, right? Their only crime was being born in a territory from which there is very little chance of ever escaping. They certainly couldn’t or they would have left. Most sane people would if they could, but they can’t because that’s how life works. You can’t just pick up and move away when no one wants you.
Hamas was weakening. Now Israel reenergizes them, or those who will, by necessity, follow in their dead footsteps. History obviously teaches this region nothing and US continues footing the bills. Here’s hoping January 21, 2009 changes this - but then the timing of this little escapade is interesting ain’t it . . .
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:02 pm
The “rockets” lobbed at “Israel” is at territory that was stolen from the Palestinians when they were forced from their homes. These rockets have the precision of a bottle rocket shot up on the 4th of July. The Palestinians have been cut off of all goods and medical supplies, electricity is sporadic to none in addition to living in horrific conditions for the last 60 years. They are now being terrorized with USA made precision weapons.
To see an idea of what occupation is like, this site has some clips from the film Occupation 101 which includes some video from Palestine.
http://www.occupation101.com/multimedia.html
If you would like to see the difference in damage between what a Hammas Qassam rocket looks like and Israeli/US precision bombing on Palestinians looks like, please look at all the photos on the following site. A few photos published over the last week are first, then some photos of the rockets and damage in Israel. Judge for yourself what Israel is afraid of.
http://palestinian.ning.com/forum/topics/the-other-side-of-the-story
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:02 pm
As an American (and thus hated by terrorists nearly as much as Israel) don’t understand how anyone could possibly ever even in the slightest blame israel for what is happening now and in the past. I have lived in Ashkelon for 10 months while it was being hit by rockets, I have lost a friend to the Hamas terrorists, and I have seen many other of my friends called back in to action to fight this beyond ridiculous war. These cultures are so closely related and they have such deep history, the fact that Hamas (as well as a solid portion of the Arab world, although not all i’m sure) want Israel dead based solely on the fact that they aren’t Arab is nothing bit pure hate.
Imagine for a minute that Canadians began shelling Seatlle and Chicago and New York… What would the American people demand other than to have the attacks stopped. We look at 9/11 and feel such deep pain for all the loss, but guess what: Israelis have been feeling that pain and that hatred since their birth.
Believe me, i feel great remorse for every innocent life lost, Palestinian or Israeli, but the fault does not lie in Israel’s hands. If you fire rockets in to innocent civilian towns, you deserve to have a military-run offensive run against your cause. Israel has been documented as calling innocents before they attack an area, and you know what happened? The local mosque called for the entire neighborhood to act as human shields. There is simply nothing to be done against an enemy that (purposefully or not) has children and families living in the same houses as terrorist organizations. They know that the world will blame israel for that, and this is the goal.
I only hope that someday people will stop lapping up the CNN and BBC media BS, because that is just not the real story. Israel is fighting for its life, just as ANY OF YOU would if you were surrounded by enemies (nations) that despised you very existence. The only ones to blame are those who target civilians, and that (i PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE you, despite whatever you have heard) is 150% NOT the case. At all. Israel wants to be able to live peacefully, as do a vast majority of the Palestinian people.
Coexistence is the path to peace, but until then: Stop Hamas, stop the war!
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Oh, and aside from all of that, Israel has treated the Palestinians with far more respect than ANY Arab nation ever has. Ever.
They have been kicked out of every country they’ve lived in, and massacred in Jordan. The Palestinian people, while not full citizenship I realize, have been granted an unfathomable amount of freedom the likes of which cannot be found in their past.
Also, Nan and Po (I hope you read this), the IDF has done their very best to contact the innocents living in their targeted locations… As I said above, I abhor every innocent life lost at the hands of the IDF, but they appologize for it and are very obviously not aiming to do so. Hamas is. They AIM to kill innocent women and children. I dont know that from the news, I know that from my friend who is an officer in Israeli intelligence, as well as from one of my closest friends who’s brother killed 4 years ago by one of those ****ing rockets. I know that from having lived and worked with Palestinian refugees at the Aida and Al-Arroub refugee camps as part of a coexistence program. What have you done to help?
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
RE: “Imagine for a minute that Canadians began shelling Seatlle and Chicago and New York” . . . I love that argument. To be an apple to apple one it assumes that the US has boxed in all of Canada such that it’s population is totally dependent upon US goodwill and generosity to survive, cannot come and go as they please, cannot elect the representatives of their choice without fear of foreign governments attempting to overthrow them, must kowtow to the whims of others in order to get jobs, food, clothing, etc., etc.
Rocket attacks surely are no fun to live with, but, just how many Israelis had been killed by these rocket attacks before the IDF began its latest? You box millions into a small area and some are going to get restless - many social studies have shown this to be the case. Give the Palestinians an actual contiguous state and get the Arab nations on board and this whole nonsense can stop and the rest of the world can stop having to listen to this bickering and death cries. Both sides have killed many. Both sides have done very bad things. Both sides must get over it and learn to get along. The quickest way for taht to happen is for the US to stop funding one side and not the other.
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
lets face it neither israel or palistine have a valid claim on this land. both were given a portion of the land as a refuge from the genocide that was killing their people. mabey its time to give the land back to jordan.
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Go Israel! Finish the job this time!
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Over the past six weeks, the citizens of Israel have endured a torrent of over 600 rockets fired on their cities and towns by Hamas forces located in Gaza. Israel has endured a steady stream of thousands of rockets into its territory since 2005. The recent escalation in violence from Hamas has made the threat to Israel’s security intolerable. Like any sovereign state in the world, Israel has the right to respond to violent attacks directed indiscriminately against its people and its territory. Over the past several days, Israel has responded forcefully to the terror tactics of Hamas, specifically targeting military objectives such as Hamas’ command centers, security installations, rocket-launching sites, weapons stockpiles, and weapons smuggling tunnels.
The escalation in violence in the tense background of the Middle East is always regrettable, and the loss of innocent civilian life on both sides is tragic. But the world must stand with Israel in affirming its right to protect and defend its people. I was heartened to learn that even in the midst of the fighting, Israel has continued to ship over 100 truckloads of humanitarian aid and hundred of thousands of gallons of fuel into Gaza. Israel continues to provide a lifeline of electricity to civilian residents of Gaza as well.
If Hamas wants to achieve peace and security for Gaza, it must immediately stop the reckless and indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israel, without conditions or reservations. Israel has made it plain that its measures against Hamas will cease when Israel is secure in its own borders, and free from the threat of daily terrorist bombardments on its citizens. There is some hope that Hamas will recognize the advantage of a cessation of hostilities. My New Year’s wish is that this hope turns into the reality of a stable and lasting cease-fire.
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:52 pm
You right wing whackos who never read a history book are childishly ignorant.
What do mean Dr. Taylor by “Test”?? Of the publics responses??
One third of the old school hard-line Israelis, are simply overfed overweaponized lazy and covetous pigs who take their Torah a little too literally. They covet money and power, and want someone else to dirty their hands and get it for them.
Their bombing of both the Palestinian and Lebonese dairies- in areas not affiliated with either Hamas or Hiszb’allah, after Israel lost the UN dairy contract was a pure act of jealous revenge.
Before World War II, as told to me by Hungarian elders, Jews were despised for their tight knit cliques who cheated and took advantage of others just as notoriously as the Gypsyies did.
The Gypsies just had darker skin.
Protected as poor and abused, Israelis now practice more barbarity than some of worlds most notorious tyrants and warlords. They also now live high on the hog with my tax dollars, while my children and family struggle.
Not one vote or one dime or one good thought will ever come from me to a Jew again.
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Hazmaq…I’m glad you posted this comment. It is a typical example of the ignorant comments that come from the Islamic Arab world. Rather than a fact-based argument (which you could not win), you resort to name calling and bigotry.
The good news, ignorant Hazmaq, is that this way of thinking has kept the Arab world at the bottom of the totem pole in every category of mankind. If it wasn’t for having the luck of sitting on oil riches, you would be nowhere. Literally nowhere.
So, moron Hazmaq, go on with your stupid name-calling. The moral, democratic, countries of Israel and the United States will continue to do the right things, which includes stamping out vermin like Hamas.
January 3rd, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Have Hamas rockets caused anything like this market scene in Gaza?
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m50320&hd=&size=1&l=e