Operation Cast Lead
Day 9 - Sunday 04 January 2009
Just after nightfall on Saturday, as many as 10,000 Israeli troops, backed by columns of tanks and F-16 warplanes, crossed into Gaza. Israeli warplanes, gunboats and artillery units blasted more than 40 Hamas targets, including weapons storage facilities, training centres and leaders' homes. The operation is Israel's largest offensive in Gaza since it left the coastal strip in late 2005 and the Israeli government says it will last some time.
Hamas claims to have killed nine Israeli troops and to have captured two soldiers but Israel is confirming only one soldier's death. On Sunday morning (Jan. 4), Staff Sergeant Dvir Immanuell, 22, from Giv'at Ze'ev, was killed and another soldier was critically wounded during a gun battle with armed Hamas terrorists around Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip. Both soldiers' families had been notified. Throughout the day, Infantry Corps, Armored Corps, Engineering Corps, Artillery Corps and Intelligence Corps forces continue to operate throughout the Gaza Strip in conjunction with of the Israel Air Force and the Israel Navy.
Since the implementation of the second stage of Operation Cast Lead, IDF forces have hit dozens of armed terrorists in gun battles. Much of the action appeared to focus on the northern part of Gaza, amid reports that Israeli troops had encircled Gaza City, had positioned tanks at the former Israeli settlement of Nezarim and had effectively cut the territory in two between north and south. Simultaneously, more than 15 Hamas targets were hit during aerial strikes, among them a weapons smuggling tunnel, vehicles, Hamas operation centers, rocket launching sites, mortar shell launching squads, and armed terrorists that were identified approaching IDF forces.
"I am extremely satisfied with your operation, and we will continue operating in Gaza." These were the words of the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, during his visit to the Air Force Base Palmahim on Sunday (Dec. 4). During his visit, the Chief of the General Staff inspected the different squadrons and talked with the soldiers. "It is an indisputable fact that you are a very important part of this operation," he praised the soldiers. "We will continue working and I trust you to do all that it takes to give aid and carry out missions in order to make things better for the people who are in the South." Infantry Corps, Armored Corps, Engineering Corps, Artillery Corps and Intelligence Corps forces continued to operate throughout the Gaza Strip in conjunction with the Israel Air Force and the Israel Navy. In the course of the ground operation, a suspicious explosive was identified and detonated in a controlled manner by IDF forces. In addition to that, three launching squads were discovered in the Zeitoun neighborhood of the northern Gaza Strip. The Israel Air Force also attacked dozens of targets during the day, among them weapon storage facilities, a vehicle with a rocket launching squad, a tunnel, vehicles used to transport weapons, Hamas operation centers, weapon manufacturing sites, about ten rocket launching sites and a group of armed terrorists that were identified while approaching IDF forces. "We will continue operating in Gaza. We continue working towards the prevention of the firing of missiles, and if we need to continue further, we will," added Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi. "That is our duty as the IDF, and that is why we are respected." Earlier during the day, three senior members of the Hamas terrorist organization were targeted in IAF strikes. In Khan Younis, Husam Hamdan, a senior Hamas operative involved in the launching of rockets and directly responsible for firing Grad rockets at the cities of Beer Sheva and Ofakim, was targeted. With him, Mohamad Hilu, who was responsible for Hamas' commando forces in Han Yunis as well as for long range rocket launching against Israel, was targeted. In an additional strike in the Jabaliya refugee camp, Mohamad Shalpoch, a member of Hamas's commando forces who was involved in launching rockets into Israel, was targeted.
Since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead, IDF forces have targeted dozens of armed terrorists. "We need to be in a place in which we, as the army, can provide safety for the South," added the Chief of the General Staff. "The result has to be a weakened Hamas, stronger deterrence, and much better security conditions in the South." The Chief of the General Staff also spoke about the hard work being done by the Home Front Command: The Home Front Command is doing good work in terms of that, and it seems to me that the overall progress up until this point is worthy of sincere appreciation."
Medical officials in Gaza say more than 30 Palestinians have been killed since the invasion began. According to tallies by medical officials in Gaza the Palestinian death toll from nine days of Israeli military operations now tops 500, with the number of injured at more than 2,000.
Israel continues to ensure that the civilian population in the Gaza Strip receives food, medicines and other humanitarian necessities, even as Hamas and other terrorist groups launch dozens of missiles daily at Israeli communities. "We have carefully weighed all our options, we are not war hungry but we shall not, I repeat we shall not, allow a situation where our towns, villages and civilians are constantly targeted by Hamas," stressed Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak. "It will not be easy or short but we are determined. We are well aware of the humanitarian aspect and are doing and will continue to do everything possible to provide all humanitarian needs to Gaza".
Since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead on December 27, 2008, Israeli defense officials at the Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) have been working together with the international organizations in the Gaza Strip as well as various governments in order to assess the humanitarian needs, requirements and make the necessary response. Since the beginning of the operation, and on a daily basis, the international community has been able to increase the amount of goods supplied to Gaza.
The UN Security Council has held emergency consultations to address the escalation of violence, but failed to issue any statement regarding the situation in Gaza. After a four-hour debate late on Saturday the US blocked a resolution calling for Israel to immediately halt all military actions in the area. The president of the UN General Assembly Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann has strongly condemned Israel's ground invasion. "I think it's a monstrosity. There is no other way to name it. And what is worse, is that once again the world is watching in dismay the dysfunctionality of the Security Council," he said.
The ground operation has made Hamas even more defiant. It claims Israel has walked into its trap and the coastal strip will become a "graveyard" for Israeli soldiers. "This is not first time Gaza is facing an invasion. We have already suffered the air offensive and the Resistance faced that campaign and kept fighting. Resistance is competent in guerrilla warfare - so we will never lose. Protecting our leader is not that important to us as protecting the Palestinian people. 61 per cent of them voted for Hamas in the last election," said Khalid Al Rakhim, Hamas spokesperson.
Hamas spokesman Usama Hamdan called for jihad against Israel on all fronts. This battle, he says, will put an end forever to the option of a negotiated settlement with Israel, and it will also show which leaders are fit to lead the Arab nation - those that negotiate with Olmert and Perez or those who fight them. This is 'jihad', he proclaimed, give us victory or give us death.
Top Arab satellite TV networks Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera TV have been running non-stop coverage of Israel's invasion of Gaza, showing images of death and destruction, mixed with martial music.
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