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Ashkenazi 'very pleased' with op so far

Dec. 30, 2008
Yaacov Katz and JPost.com staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

On the fourth day of Operation Cast Lead, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said he was "very pleased with the operation at this point."

Speaking at a joint press conference Tuesday afternoon with President Shimon Peres, Ashkenazi praised the IDF and security forces participating in Operation Cast Lead, which he said was aimed at "creating a better reality for the residents of southern Israel."

He also thanked the general Israeli public for supporting the operation, and expressed his appreciation of Israel's southern residents, who are "living under constant threat" and providing important support to the operation, "which extends our endurance."

"Difficult times are awaiting us; I am sure we will overcome them as well," he added.

Earlier Tuesday afternoon during a tour of Ashkelon, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that military action against Hamas would continue until all the goals are met.

Barak said that the operation would intensify "as much as needed to meet the goals we set for ourselves; to bring quiet to the South."

The operation also aims "to strike a severe blow to Hamas," he said, "in order to bring about an end to firing and other operations against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers."

"We expect more difficult days ahead which will test civilians' endurance," he continued.

On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met President Shimon Peres at the President's Residence in Jerusalem and updated him on recent developments.

The prime minister said that the military action in Gaza over the past few days was the "first stage out of a series of measures that the cabinet has approved."

Peres emphasized that Israel was not fighting against the Palestinian population but rather against a terror group that had "raised the banner of violence and undermined stability in the region."

"There is no one in the world that understands why Hamas is continuing to fire rockets at Israel," he continued. "The firing defies reason and logic, and it doesn't stand a chance."

The two met as Israel let some 100 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies from Jordan, Turkey and international aid groups into the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

In addition, five new ambulances given by Turkey were allowed into the Strip.

Overnight Monday, Olmert instructed the IDF to press ahead with the Gaza operation and not to set a time limit for its goals.

Following consultations at his home with IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and other heads of the security establishment, Olmert stressed that Israel would strike Hamas with an "iron fist" but would treat Gaza civilians with "kid gloves" in its humanitarian effort.

During the meeting, security officials said that the IDF had given telephone warnings to some 90,000 Gazans living near Hamas facilities targeted by the IAF. They stressed that the sites were only bombed after civilians had left their homes.

Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Yuval Diskin said that Hamas leaders, including its prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, had gone into hiding, much to the chagrin of Gaza residents. He also said there was a degree of satisfaction among Gaza civilians over the IDF operation against the terror group.

It was further stated that there was no extreme international pressure on Israel, and that world leaders had appreciated the restraint in the lead-up to the operation and were now demonstrating understanding for the military action.

The officials said that Hamas had already started pressing countries and international organizations in a bid for a cease-fire.

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IAF aircraft pummel Hamas smuggling tunnels in Gaza

Dec. 30, 2008
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

IAF aircraft on Tuesday evening were bombing smuggling tunnels along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, Palestinian sources reported.

Earlier, Al Jazeera reported that Egypt had closed the border crossing at Rafah for fear of an impending Israeli air strike.

Channel 10 reported that "many" jets were participating in the second wave of attacks on tunnels along the Gaza Egypt border near Rafah since Operation Cast Lead began on Saturday.

On Sunday some 40 smuggling tunnels were bombarded by the air force.

Earlier Monday, the IAF struck two targets in Gaza City and the city of Khan Yunis, located in the south of the Strip. Army Radio reported that a Hamas police station was one of the targets.

The IDF warned Gazans to leave their homes prior to the attacks.

Overnight Monday, at least 10 people were killed and 40 others wounded when IAF planes bombed a series of targets in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said.

The IDF confirmed air strikes against dozens of targets in the central Gaza town of El-Bureij, near Khan Yunis, and in Gaza City.

Hamas's Interior Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Treasury, and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's offices were amongst the targets, as well as police stations.

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Rocket Range Expanding, Kiryat Malachi is Hit

Tevet 3, 5769, 30 December 08 05:28

by Maayana Miskin

(IsraelNN.com) Gaza terrorists fired on several major Israeli cities on Tuesday afternoon in a continued effort to hit targets as far from Gaza as possible. Strikes were reported adjacent to Kiryat Malachi and Netivot. An additional strike was reported between the Bedouin city of Rahat and the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel's seventh largest city.

At least 16 rockets hit the city of Sderot on Tuesday, and a rocket also hit a town south of Ashkelon, damaging a soccer field. Reports of a direct strike on a kibbutz [cooperative community] dining hall in the western Negev could not immediately be confirmed.

Several people suffered shock in the Kiryat Malachi attack, but no physical injuries were reported. In Sderot, a man was lightly wounded when a rocket hit his house.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has declared a “special situation” in all areas located within 30 kilometers of Gaza. The move allows defense officials to cancel civilian events, close factories and schools, and more.

Schools were closed Tuesday in Ashkelon, Ashdod and Ofakim, as well as other Gaza Belt communities. Each of the three cities suffered fatal or near-fatal attacks on Monday. Construction worker Hani Elmahadi was killed in Ashkelon, Irit Sheetrit was killed in Ashdod, and a man was seriously wounded in Ofakim.

Cities outside the expanded “special situation” zone have begun preparing for attack as well. Be'er Sheva city workers have begun preparing for the possibility of rocket attacks on the city, and Ben Gurion University has switched to its wartime procedures.

Even the city of Rehovot began preparing for possible attacks, despite being currently located beyond Hamas' range. Rehovot is located approximately 43 kilometers from Gaza, while the furthest range of the terrorist rockets has been roughly 41 kilometers. 

City officials have instructed residents to check the condition of their bomb shelters and to listen to all Homefront Command instructions. Next week, Homefront Command officers will visit Rehovot and check bomb shelters, train security workers on dealing with rocket attacks and check local communications systems.

The Homefront Command has begun broadcasting instructions in case of attack on Channel 33. The broadcasts include explanations of how to select the best form of shelter during an attack. Instructions are being broadcast in Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, English, Spanish and Amharic.

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