Israel Matzav

IDF tanks on ruins of former Gaza towns; IAF targets Kassam shooters

IDF tanks and infantry are now roaming the ruins of the former Gaza Strip Jewish towns of Dugit, Nisanit and Elei Sinai. If Fat Arik hadn't expelled all the Jews, the soldiers would even have a place to have a cup of coffee now. The idea is to place the tanks in the areas from which the 'Palestinians' have been launching Kassams. If you read my previous report, you already know that it has not been particularly effective.

'Palestinian' sources are claiming that the IDF has electronically taken over all of the radio frequencies in Gaza and is using them to warn 'Palestinian civilians' to leave the Kassam firing zones. There is apparently no confirmation or denial on that from the IDF.

The IDF also moved artillery batteries back to the edge of the Gaza Strip for the first time since eighteen 'Palestinian' civilians were killed in an artillery strike on Beit Hanoun in November.

In the meantime, the IAF got the helicopters going today.

After the tanks entered Gaza, the IAF reported a fifth air strike on Gaza in which the house of a Qassam rocket maker was hit. The IDF reported that the man had been inside the house during the strike, but his condition in unknown.

Earlier Thursday, in the first IAF strike, a Hamas Executive Force compound in Gaza City was hit, killing a Hamas militant and wounding more than 40 people. The compound was reduced to rubble. IDF sources reported that the compound had housed militants who were planning terror attacks against Israel.

Later, the IAF fired missiles at car belonging to Hamas in Gaza City, killing two militants. Hamas identified one of the dead as Imad Shbana, a senior member of the organization.

Later Thursday, the IAF hit Gaza City for a third time, striking a Hamas position in the city and killing at least one militant.

The IAF carried out a fourth strike on Thursday evening, firing a missile at a vehicle in southern Gaza at sundown. Israel confirmed the strike, saying that the vehicle had been carrying members of the militant Islamic Jihad organization.

The Palestinian security officials said the vehicle was a small truck belonging to the Rafah town council and had been on its way to inspect a garbage dump. Since such vehicles are sometimes used to carry rockets, the officials said, it might have been a case of mistaken identity.

Two brothers, aged 10 and 12, had been riding in the vehicle with their father. Both brothers were killed in the strike, and their father sustained serious wounds which rendered him clinically dead.

Hamas militants said they fired three rockets from that area shortly before the airstrike.

Hamas is threatening 'martyrdom operations' in retaliation for today's strikes. And their political leader, Khaled Meshaal said that the strikes give the 'Palestinians' a 'historic opportunity' to unite against the Jews. Which of course is why Hamas started shooting Kassam at Israel in the first place.

For those of you saying "What would Bibi do?" we got something of an answer today.

During a speech at a Likud factional meeting on Thursday, Netanyahu also suggested several steps that the government could take in order to put an end to the Qassam rocket fire in the South.

“The government can do a lot of things to protect its citizens … It can impose a closure on the Gaza Strip, stop providing certain services to the Palestinian Authority such as electricity and water, and temporarily enter Gaza, four or five kilometers in,” Netanyahu said, prior to reports of several IDF tanks entering the city.

“At the moment, the government isn’t doing anything to protect Sderot residents. This silence, this omission, this helplessness has to go,” he added.

News of the Idf operation then reached the meeting, but MK Limor Livnat dismissed it, saying it was only done for the “appearance of a military operation”.

“If the government doesn’t give a real, serious response to the massive firing at Sderot over the past few days, it is not worthy of its place.”

But the government is too scared of the world reaction if it cuts off electricity or water or money to Gaza so Olmert, Peretz and Livni continue to fiddle together as Israel burns.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:31 AM