Operation Cast Lead
Day 5 - Wednesday 31 December 2008
Violence is ongoing in Gaza as an Israeli aircraft hit several Hamas positions in the area. Israeli forces are also reported to have targeted smuggling tunnels linking Gaza and Egypt. Israeli war planes struck targets in Gaza Wednesday morning - hitting Hamas government offices in Gaza City and underground tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border. At the same time, Israel continued to amass ground troops around Gaza in preparation for a possible ground offensive.
The fighting came despite calls for Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement. Israel rejected international pressure for an immediate, even if temporary, cease-fire five days into its offensive against Hamas militants and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Israel considers all international proposals on a ceasefire in Gaza unrealistic and insists that Palestinian militants should stop attacks first, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. Israel will continue its military operations in the Gaza Strip but has not ruled out a possible diplomatic solution in the future, the country's prime minister announced on Wednesday. "If conditions develop and we believe that there could be a diplomatic solution which would guarantee better security in the south (of Israel) then we will consider it, but at the moment its not there" Ehud Olmert said after the meeting of his security cabinet.
Wednesday night (Dec. 31), the IAF and the Israel Navy struck around 20 additional Hamas targets as a continuation of Operation Cast Lead, Israel's current operation targeting the Hamas terrorist organization and those that assist Hamas in launching attacks against citizens of the State of Israel. Among the sites targeted were the buildings housing Hamas' Ministry of Justice and Legislative Assembly, both located in the Tel El-Hawwa government complex. Hamas Government sites serve as a critical component of the terrorist groups' infrastructure in Gaza. Over five smuggling tunnels along the 'Philadelphi Route' used by Hamas to transport arms and terrorists in and out of Gaza. A weaponry manufacturing and storage facility in central Gaza, under which a tunnel was also located. A command center of Hamas' police force in Rafah, as a well as a Hamas coastal authority outpost on the shore adjacent to Gaza City. In addition, the Israel Navy targeted a number of Hamas outposts and rocket launching sites.
Despite massive damage and a toll of nearly 400 Palestinians killed, Hamas also remains defiant, continuing to fire rockets ever deeper into Israel. Missiles reached the city of Beersheba, which is 28 miles from Gaza, killing four. Rockets have hit not only nearby towns such as Sderot and Ashkelon, but also Ashdod to the north of Gaza. HAMAS rockets are now hitting targets in the range of 40 to 50 kilometers.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Egypt will not fully open the border crossing into Gaza, unless Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is in control there. Egypt has opened a crossing to allow wounded Palestinians to enter for medical treatment, and Egyptian authorities also allowed food and medical supplies to be delivered into Gaza.
Arab League foreign ministers were meeting in Cairo to discuss the crisis. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called on the Arab League to do more than talk - saying action is now needed. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds talks in Syria and Jordan Wednesday and is also due to visit Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to hold talks in Paris Thursday and French President Nicolas Sarkozy may visit Israel early next week.
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