It is very very necessary, this invasion – which has been ordered by Prime
Minister Netanyahu.
Credit:
TimesofIsrael
~~~~~~~~~~
So let’s stop here for a prayer for the thousands of Israel’s soldiers who
are now inside Gaza.
“He Who blessed our forefathers Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob -- may He bless the fighters of the Israel Defense
Forces...
“May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck
down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our
fighters from every trouble and distress...and may He send blessing and success
in their every endeavor.”
Amen v’amen!
~~~~~~~~~~~
I just heard an interview with Col. Richard Kemp, former commander of
British forces in Afghanistan and an enormous friend of Israel. He was
down at the border of Gaza before the incursion began, he reported, and what he
can say is that the troops are superbly prepared for this operation. In
fact, he said, there is no fighting force in the world that could do it
better.
The troops, sitting at the border for many days, have been eager to go
in.
See this article:
“...history shows Hamas is awful at killing IDF troops on the move.”
~~~~~~~~~~
The operation is being led by the IDF's Southern
Command, and will see close coordination between various IDF units: infantry,
armored corps, engineer corps, artillery, and intelligence. They are, of course,
supported by the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) and other intelligence
organizations. Israeli intelligence in Gaza is excellent and is critically
important.
There was heavy aerial bombardment before the ground invasion began; the
ground troops will continue to be supported by attacks from the air and the
sea.
The troops went in under cover of night and in many areas there were
blackouts. Except for flares, there was little that could be seen.
Credit: Reuters
~~~~~~~~~~
The prime minister made it clear in his announcement that the initial goal
of the invasion is taking out terror tunnels.
The need for this has been evident for some time, but it was likely
something that happened this morning that made action inevitable:
A Hamas tunnel that opened 250 meters inside of Israel, near Kibbutz Sufa,
was utilized by 13 terrorists with full intent to launch a massacre. They
carried with them heavy weapons - 15 anti-tank weapons and
Kalashnikovs - with an enormous amount of ammunition. The blood runs cold
at the thought of what they would have done, if Israeli army and security had
not spotted the tunnel. Extensive forces were waiting for the terrorists
when they tried to exit. One was reportedly killed, at least some turned
back.
~~~~~~~~~~
What became apparent then was that no ceasefire, no matter the terms, would
keep our people safe from terror attacks if these tunnels were left
intact.
The purpose of that particular attempted massacre was very clear: Hamas was
looking for a “victory” before ending the war. Now they will pay.
There is a whole city of very sophisticated tunnels under Gaza. They
have electricity and air conditioning. And walls that are covered with tons of
concrete. (Note: the “poor” people of Gaza have cried because Israel has
limited the amount of concrete brought into Gaza for building their homes, and
here you have it.)
Credit:
ElderofZiyon
Our soldiers will not seek all of the tunnels, we are being told, but will
focus on those that are within two or three kilometers of the border with
Israel.
But from what I am reading, there are a number of different sorts of
actions taking place in the central, southern and northern sections of Gaza. The
operation is likely to expand beyond the stated goal of dismantling
tunnels. Eighteen-thousand more troops have now been called up, and the
larger goal of significantly weakening Hamas has been put on the agenda.
~~~~~~~~~~
What we are learning now is that the Security Cabinet had approved this
ground operation two days ago, when it was apparent that Hamas was not going to
cooperate in a ceasefire. This is a signal lesson for us all, I think, in
terms of what goes on that we, in the main, are not aware of. This is how
it is supposed to be done: with an element of surprise.
Today was a difficult day in many respects. This was, in part, with regard
to false rumors of a ceasefire agreement that had been successfully negotiated
(disinformation?). I had intended to write about it, and the broader issue
of ceasefires with Hamas, but the ground incursion has trumped this reporting.
Hopefully I will return to it. There are significant matters to be
discussed regarding Egypt’s involvement, the desire of Qatar and Turkey to be
involved, and the position of the Obama administration. And much
more.
We did have a five hour ceasefire today that had been requested by the UN
so that humanitarian goods could be brought into Gaza. We honored this;
Hamas was supposed to, but did launch some rockets during that interval of
time. Once the ceasefire was over, Hamas immediately began launching a
heavy barrage of rockets – with 50 in the subsequent four hours, and 100 during
the course of the day. This was one of the heaviest bombardments of the
10-day war, and surely helped move Netanyahu in the direction of ordering the
troops in on the ground, as well.
~~~~~~~~~~
There is a broad consensus among commentators that we have an extraordinary
window of opportunity for doing this operation now. There is even the tragedy of
the Malaysian airplane that was shot down - it is occupying the media, which
would normally be focused on every step our soldiers take. Additionally,
Netanyahu is in a superb place with regard to international approval because of
his willingness to go with a ceasefire. Amazingly,
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry came out with a strong criticism of
Hamas, saying it could have saved many lives if it had agreed to a
ceasefire. Deaths yet to come will be the fault of Hamas, he
suggested.
What we must do however, is move quickly, as this honeymoon is no likely to
last.
~~~~~~~~~~
To strengthen your sense of what is going on in Gaza, and what the ruthless
enemy we face is like, I provide the following links. Please, use them
extensively. The more people “get it,” the better:
UNRWA found 20 rockets stored in one of its school buildings. As you can
imagine, they have no idea how they got there. I have clear memories, from
the days when I was investigating UNRWA, of terrorist equipment and even
terrorists hidden inside UNRWA property. But I guess they didn’t know
about any of it:
~~~~~~~~~~
Ruthless manipulation of the people of Gaza by Hamas, which is praising the
“martyrs” who stay in their homes even when the IDF warns them to leave to avoid
danger:
“’Our mighty people presented a unique example of steadfastness and
perseverance and are not affected or fearful from the psychological warfare of
the Occupation,’ Hamas boasted. ‘They did not respond to calls from the
Occupation to leave their homes – they stayed there and did not abandon
them.’”
~~~~~~~~~~
And then a horrible look at how their kids are
influenced (appreciate it, Barbara):
~~~~~~~~~~
Shabbat does approach, and I do not know that I will be able to post again
before its advent. I will post as I can – and as the situation requires it
- in the days ahead.
~~~~~~~~~~
© Arlene Kushner.
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