From Fox News Israel At ‘War to the Bitter End,’ Strikes Key Hamas Sites
In the most dramatic attacks Sunday, warplanes struck dozens of smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border, cutting off a lifeline that had supplied Hamas with weapons and Gaza with commercial goods. The influx of goods helped Hamas defy an 18-month blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt, and was key to propping up its rule.
Gaza’s nine hospitals were overwhelmed. Hassanain, who keeps a record for the Gaza Health Ministry, said over 1,400 were wounded over two days of fighting, and that casualties were now being taken to private clinics and even homes.
Abdel Hafez, a 55-year-old history teacher, waited outside a Gaza City bakery to buy bread, one of the few people visible outdoors. He said he was not a Hamas supporter, but believed the strikes would only increase support for the group. “Each strike, each drop of blood are giving Hamas more fuel to continue,” he said.
In Jerusalem, Israel’s Cabinet approved a call-up of 6,500 reserve soldiers Sunday in apparent preparation for a ground offensive. The final decision to call up more reserves has yet to be made by the defense minister, Ehud Barak, and the Cabinet decision could be a pressure tactic.
Israel has doubled the number of troops on the Gaza border since Saturday and also deployed an artillery battery. Several hundred reservists have already been summoned to join their units, but no full combat formations have been mobilized so far.
Israeli leaders have said the operation might be long. “The goal of our current operation is to … create a situation where Israeli civilians living in the south of the country no longer have to live in constant fear of a Hamas rocket attack,” government spokesman Mark Regev said Monday.
Since Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year military occupation, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to the territory to hunt militants firing rockets at Israeli towns. But it has shied away from retaking the entire strip for fear of getting bogged down in urban warfare.
Military experts said Israel would need at least 10,000 soldiers for a full-scale invasion.
If Hamas had no guns there would be no war. If Israel had no guns there would be no Israel.
This is entirely the fault of Hamas and the Palestinian people. A sovereign nation is duty bound to protect its citizens. Palestine is not nor has ever been a nation.
By: Brad Marston on January 6, 2009
at 2:14 am
we’ll kill israel people that we meet them in the world.they’ve been killed the childrend.the monkey israel is the crime humanism country,f*** you monkey israel people!
By: monkey israel on January 7, 2009
at 3:04 pm
These are the sort of comments people need to be aware of. Israel continually faces threats to existance, and the sort of thoughts expressed in the previous comment are why not only does Israel have a right to defend itself it has a need to defend itself.
By: kmorrison33 on January 7, 2009
at 6:44 pm
we the jewish people have the rights to kill anyone that stands to stop our goals, those childeren we killed in gaza will stand in our goals someday. the UN have no control over us, because we were chosen to be the best people by god.
By: jacob on January 12, 2009
at 5:56 pm
Chosen to be the best people by God? There may be the problem. But, considering the 1000+ Palestinians dead, and the 15 or so Jews dead in this conflict, you gotta consider that the Jews are smart enough to duck. The Jews have been shot at for years now, and have built bomb shelters. Why are the Gazans not protecting their children? If Hammas is lobbing rockets into Israel, why are they not providing shelter from the inevitable return of fire? The idea behind voting for leaders is choosing ideas. Pick Hammas?
By: Coral Bright on January 16, 2009
at 3:59 pm
hamas defened on them land ,it is not israel land it is the palastine land ,so we will take it back by our simple guns ,,,,,today we win the war & w will take juresulem back enshala
By: muslem on January 18, 2009
at 1:04 pm
Like it or not!…
[ Israel has the power ],
==========================================
and who has the power dominates.
We – the Jewish – occupied this land 3 century ago. So we are back to purify our holy land from Arabs by the U.S. strong detergent F16.
Nobody can stop us now…………………………………………….
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
By: Shamshoon on January 21, 2009
at 3:27 am
I’m very Sorry for you,
Richard the King of England had said so before Salah Aldeen defeated him.
Hebrews entered our land 3 century ago with the permeation from the Universe CREATER. And we the Moslems are aware of that.
But you know that this permeation is expired after the ancient Israel was gone apart due to its ultra dirtiness over the world.
Your F16 may save you for a while, but humanity along the history told us that the strength is defeatable in front of right.
What really kills is the absence of knight honor in your souls.
The Soul of Samurais, Christians and Moslems knights.
Killing a bunch of children with F16 is very typical for Jews. Its only an example for their dirtiness.
By: Arabimos on January 21, 2009
at 4:34 am