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[Article] IT - Israeli ground froces enter Gaza
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03-01-2009 8:42pm#1Join Date:Posts: 13664
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0103/breaking7.htmIsraeli ground forces enter Gaza
An Israeli border police officer passes the site of a Hamas rocket attack in Kibbutz Karmiyya, just outside the northern Gaza Strip today. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulu
A small column of Israeli military vehicles, backed by combat helicopters, rolled into the northern Gaza
Strip this evening.
A Palestinian witness, a resident of the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, said the column crossed the boundary fence under darkness. The witness could not immediately say how deep the Israelis penetrated into Palestinian territory.
The Israeli military confirmed ground forces had entered Gaza saying it intends to take control of some of the areas used by Palestinian factions to fire rockets at Israel.
"The objective is to destroy the Hamas terror infrastructure in the area of operations," said Major Avital Leibovitch, a military spokeswoman, confirming that incursions were under way.
"We are going to take some of the launch areas used by Hamas."
The ground offensive will take many days, the chief military spokesman said.
"This won't be a school outing," Brigadier Avi Benayahu told Israel's Channel Two television. "We are taking about many long days."
Israel has ordered the call-up of tens of thousands of military reservists as part of a ground offensive launched in the Gaza Strip this evening, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said in a statement.
It said that, in accordance with a secret cabinet discussion on Friday, the government ordered the armed forces "to draft the necessary reservists, on a scale of tens of thousands of troops".
Earlier, an Israeli air strike on a mosque in Gaza killed 11 Palestinian civilians, including children, and wounded dozens as they prayed, Hamas officials said.
Witnesses said the air strike on the mosque in the town of Beit Lahiya took place as people prayed inside. At least 11 civilians were killed and 50 wounded, Hamas and medical officials said.
Rescuers pulled people from the debris and the bodies of victims lay in pools of blood, the witnesses said.
An Israeli military spokesman had no immediate comment. Israel has targeted mosques previously saying that Hamas had used them as command posts and fire bases.
Hamas kept up its rocket attacks on southern Israel in defiance of international calls for it to halt such actions.
As the Israeli offensive entered its second week, prospects of a ceasefire any time soon looked dim.
"I hope the results of this operation will bring about quiet in the long term. The moment they fire, we will respond with great force," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Israeli TV.
"It could be that several operations will be needed in this regard."
Today's fighting brings the Palestinian death toll to at least 446, with about 2,050 wounded, in the worst sustained bloodshed in decades of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Four Israelis have also been killed in cross-border rocket attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.
Israeli artillery cannons shelled the Gaza Strip today, witnesses on both sides of the border said, heralding a possible escalation to a new tactic in more than a week of fighting.
Palestinian witnesses said the artillery cannons caused a large explosion in Gaza City as well as a series of blasts on the nearby frontier with Israel.
Israeli artillery generally fire unguided 155mm shells. If put to sustained use, the weapons could significantly increase the number of civilian casualties from an Israeli air campaign that has killed at least 433 Palestinians.
Israel says it is trying to stop Hamas rocket fire.
Israel has massed ground forces on the Gaza border ahead of any decision to invade the Hamas-ruled territory. One factor which independent analysts said could be holding the army back was concern about Hamas minefields hidden on the frontier
An overnight Israeli air strike killed Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, a senior commander of Hamas's armed wing, today, the Islamist group said.
On Thursday, another Hamas leader, Nizar Rayyan, was killed and most of Hamas's senior officials have gone into hiding to evade assassination attempts by Israel.
Basic foodstuffs in the densely populated zone were running short and fresh water supplies were limited because of damage to the systems, humanitarian agencies said. Hospitals were struggling to cope with the casualties.
At least 20 air strikes targeted Gaza this morning and naval vessels also shelled the area from the Mediterranean coast, witnesses said.
International cease-fire efforts were also gaining momentum.
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Kellen Disgusting Cargo wrote: »
Are Aljazeera getting at something by posting posters of the Black IDF soldiers?
It was interesting to me
Lol, that's camouflage face paint. I don't know what the story is with the rasta hats though.0 -
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Kellen Disgusting Cargo wrote: »Has very much the facial structure of a black man, plus, the strong light may affect the impression that the photo gives of his hands.
Ive yet to see a caucasian with lips like that fella
His lips are accentuated by the back face paint around them. Here are a few clearer photo of IDF soldiers which clearly show them wearing face paint.
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