Operation Cast Lead
Israeli ground forces have entered Gaza, according to Israeli military officials. Tanks and artillery have crossed the border for the first time since the conflict began eight days ago. Israeli TV reported heavy firefights. Israeli officials have said the ground offensive could last a few days but is not for the purpose of reoccupying the area. "Our aim is to force Hamas to stop the activities of Hamas and bring significant change to the region," said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak after the start of the ground offensive. In response to the attacks, a Hamas spokesman said that Gaza will "become a graveyard" for Israeli soldiers.
Saturday evening (Jan.3), IDF forces began to implement the second stage of Operation Cast Lead. Ground forces have begun to maneuver within the Gaza Strip. The objective of this stage of the operation is to destroy the terrorist infrastructure of the Hamas in the precise area of operation, while taking control of some of rocket launching area used by Hamas in order to greatly reduce the quantity of rockets fired at Israel and Israeli civilians. The IDF Spokesperson emphasizes that this stage of the operation will further the goals of Operation Cast Lead as communicated till now: To strike a direct and hard blow against Hamas while increasing the deterrent strength of the IDF, in order to bring about an improved and more stable security situation for residents of southern Israel in the long term. A large number of IDF forces are taking part in this stage of the operation including infantry, tanks, engineering forces, artillery and intelligence, along with the support of the Israel Air Force, Israel Navy, Israel Security Agency and other security agencies. The operation is in accord with the decisions of the Security Cabinet. This stage of the operation is a part of the IDF's overall operational plan, and will continue on the basis of ongoing situational assessments by the IDF General Staff.
Israel had stepped up its Gaza offensive - with warplanes, gunboats and artillery firing on dozens of targets on Saturday as the military action entered its second week. The sounds of explosions again rocked Gaza on Saturday as Israeli air strikes and bombardments continued for the eighth consecutive day, hitting over 40 targets, which the military described as "integral parts of the Hamas terror organization." One raid hit a mosque in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza. Palestinian medical officials said at least 10 people were killed. Israel has also begun firing artillery shells into areas along the Gaza border, widely seen as preparing the ground for a possible land offensive.
Since early Saturday morning (Jan.3), the IDF has attacked over 40 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, all integral parts of the Hamas terror organization's infrastructure, including a training camp, weapons storage facility, smuggling tunnel, an armed rocket launcher and rocket launching bases. Saturday (Jan.3), HAMAS launched over 14 Qassam rockets and Grad missiles towards Israel. One Grad missile hit an apartment building in the city of Ashdod, wounding two Israelis. A short time after the attack, the IAF identified and destroyed the launchers used in the attack.
Israel has been targeting senior Hamas militants. The IAF struck a vehicle transporting Senior Hamas Commander Mohammed Ma'aruf and an additional Hamas operative in Khan Younis early Saturday (Jan.3) afternoon. Ma'aruf was part of Hamas' military wing and served as an officer in the terror organization's ground forces. An Israeli air strike killed a senior Hamas commander in Gaza Saturday as the military offensive against the Islamist faction entered its second week. Senior commander Abu Zakaria al-Jamal was killed in an Israeli air strike, two days after another militant leader, Nizar Rayyan and his family were killed in a bomb attack.
Medical officials in Gaza say more than 420 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive and over 2,000 injured. U.N. officials estimate that a quarter of those killed were civilians. The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip rose to 440 Palestinians with some 2,285 people injured as the conflict entered its second week, Lebanon's Al-Manar TV reported on Saturday.
Over the past week Israel's controversial bombing campaign has destroyed more than 750 facilities in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which according to Israel were connected to terrorist activities. In response Palestinian militants launched 500 rockets on Israeli border towns killing four people.
Israel has massed troops, tanks and artillery around Gaza in preparation for a possible ground offensive. From his base in the Syrian capital Damascus, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal issued a warning to Israel. Meshaal warned of a "dark fate" if Israeli troops move into Gaza and said they would end up killed or captured.
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