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Israel Strikes Gaza – Day 7

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01-02-09

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Late Update:

It is now early dawn on Saturday in Israel. Some news reports described an unusual stirring of activity among Israeli ground troops and tanks parked outside the Gaza border. The unusual activity may indicate a ground invasion may be just an hour or two away or it may be nothing special. CNN reporter Nic Robertson, stationed in Ashkelon, Israel reports Israeli war planes and jets were conducting sorties but cautioned that he was not seeing any unusual ground movements by Israeli forces. Meanwhile, a Hamas radio broadcast reported that Hamas fighters had engaged Israeli commandoes trying to enter Gaza City but had turned the invaders back just before daybreak, Saturday.

Day 7 of Israel’s military operations against Gaza was a day of expectations and new alarm.

Israel continued its aerial assault on Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the 7th day of Israel’s military operations which some officials have termed a “war” against Hamas. Israeli warplanes continued their air strikes targeting the mobile terrorists wielding those pesky but small rockets and occasionally larger rockets with a longer range. In recent days, Israeli air sorties are averaging about 30 per day, down from 100 sorties per day in the first three days of the action. Unmanned, remote-controlled Israeli drones (UAVs) however circle over Gaza skies, 24/7 just waiting to inflict further damage with missiles.

It was revealed on Friday that some of the longer range Hamas rockets have the range ability to reach Israel’s nuclear power plant at Dimona which is 20 miles east of Beersheba. The city of Beersheba has been coming under increasing numbers of the longer range “Grad” rockets which are also believed to have the range to reach the nuclear facilities.
It is believed that Dimona is also where at least some of Israel’s nuclear weapons are stored.

As Israeli warplanes continued to pound Hamas operatives and targets inside Gaza, speculation increased that Israeli ground forces would be ordered to invade Gaza on Saturday morning. Israeli tanks and crews waited near the Gaza border for orders to move forward. Earlier in the day, and yesterday there were reports that Israeli commandoes had slipped inside of the Gaza Strip, carrying out clandestine missions. Such reports could not be confirmed and Israeli military spokespeople would not comment.

There are late reports in mainstream news media outlets that Israeli ground troops will be ordered into Gaza at daylight on Saturday morning. Such a move would fly in the face of Jewish Sabbath regulations, but the air operations also began as the Sabbath day started.

Hamas leaders declared that Hamas fighters were ready to repel Israeli invaders.

In Damascus, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal sounded a defiant note in a televised speech. Meshaal boasted:
"We are ready for the challenge, this battle was imposed on us and we are confident we will achieve victory because we have made our preparations.”.
A Palestinian official has told Reuters that Egypt had begun exploratory talks with Hamas to stop the fighting.
On the International front, UN officials were soliciting member nations for volunteers to form a UN Peacekeeping force that would separate the two antagonists. So far the UN initiative has met with little support. No nation wishes to send their soldiers into arms way in front of radical terrorists who have no strict leadership structure that is obeyed.
Israeli leaders have made it clear to the UN that Israel has no real interest in agreeing to any cease-fire until or unless the Hamas rocket attacks are permanently stopped. Israel sees no cease-fire being able to permanently guarantee an end to the rocket attacks.
For more details, see the links below

Gaza Rockets In Range of Israeli Nuke Facility – LINK

Israel Set to Begin Ground War in Gaza - LINK

Israeli Tanks Await Orders - LINK

Hamas Ready For Invasion - LINK

Debkafile Reports on Suspence in Israel for Invasion - LINK

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