Britannia Radio

They deem him their worst enemy who tells them the truth. - Plato

 

"The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see." -- Ayn Rand

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Ignorance Is Weakness - Know The Truth
Self-Inflicted Ignorance Is Suicide
The Freeman Center Is A Defense Against Ignorance

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APPEASEMENT BREEDS VIOLENCE AND TERRORSISM

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[Freeman Center Note: Considering the Jewish historical experience with weakness, ALL Jews (and, of course, Israelis) should be armed and able to defend themselves. Any attempt by the government to disarm Jews should be resisted by force. Better to die a free man than to live as a slave. Any attempt by the U.S, Europe or the UN to limit Israeli military freedom of action should be prevented!]

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A year's intel yields 'alpha hits' Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST Dec. 26, 2008 www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230111714969&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull   A year of information-gathering by Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) paved the way Saturday for Operation Cast Lead. At 11:30 a.m., more than 50 fighter jets and attack helicopters swept into Gazan airspace and dropped more than 100 bombs on 50 targets. The planes reported "alpha hits," IAF lingo for direct hits on the targets, which included Hamas bases, training camps, headquarters and offices. Thirty minutes later, a second wave of 60 jets and helicopters struck at 60 targets, including underground Kassam launchers - placed inside bunkers and missile silos - that had been fitted with timers. Their locations were discovered in an intensive intelligence operation. The goal: to strike at Hamas's ability to fire rockets into Israel. More than 170 targets were hit by IAF aircraft throughout the day. Over 225 Gazans were killed and over 780 were wounded, according to Palestinian sources. Estimates are that around a third of those killed were civilians. The IDF released a list of some of the targets hit: the Hamas headquarters and training camp in Tel Zatar; the "Palestinian Prisoner Tower" in Gaza City that was turned into a Hamas operations center and armory; the Hamas police academy, which was bombed during a graduation ceremony, killing 70-80 people; training camps in southern and central Gaza; the former office of Yasser Arafat in Gaza City that is now used by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh; and the Izzadin Kassam Brigades headquarters in the northern Gaza Strip. Throughout the initial stages of the air operation, the IDF Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration transmitted messages to civilians in Gaza to stay away from Kassam launch sites and Hamas buildings and infrastructure.

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Saturday, December 27, 2008

IDF mobilizing tanks in event of Gaza ground incursion

IDF prepares to intensify operation against Hamas infrastructure in Gaza, sending tanks and infantry reinforcements southward in preparation for possible ground incursion. Throughout day IAF carried out strikes on nearly 100 Hamas targets; Palestinian health officials putting death toll at 225 people Hanan Greenberg Published: 12.28.08, 00:20 / Israel News www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3645272,00.html The Israeli Air Force struck a total of 100 Hamas targets in Gaza on Saturday with the launching of the operation dubbed 'Cast Lead.' Palestinian medical officials have reported at least 225 people killed in the Israeli strikes. The IDF has also begun mobilizing tanks and reinforcement infantry troops to the Gaza region in the event a ground incursion is ordered. In an interview with the British SKY network, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that ground forces would indeed enter the Strip if the move was deemed necessary by Jerusalem. Barak did not declare outright that there would be a ground offensive, but said that he could not presume to guess what Hamas' next move would be and therefore was preparing the military for any contingency. In a message tailored to the British public, the defense minister said the British government would also not tolerate incessant attacks against its civilian population. "I remember the British government crossing half the globe to protect British citizens that were attacked," he said. In a later interview with FOX, Barak addressed the American public and said that asking Israel to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas would be like asking the US to agree to a ceasefire with Al-Qaeda. Barak, who suspended all campaigning events for the duration of the operation, will brief government ministers on the progress of the strike in Gaza during Sunday's cabinet meeting. Rocket fire continues One of the targets bombed in the strike was the office of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who was absent at the time of the strike. Hamas' leadership in Gaza has mostly gone underground in anticipation of an Israeli offensive. Most of the other targets were Hamas warehouses and training centers, at one location a graduation ceremony was in progress for new recruits to the movement's security forces. A number of Qassam-launchers were also hit. During the evening targets in the Gazan neighborhood of Zeitun were targeted, as well as the Jabaliya refugee camp. Palestinian news agencies reported three dead in the strikes. Meanwhile, the rocket fire towards Israel continued throughout the day, and by 9 pm 64 rockets had been fired, of them 44 were fired towards Eshkol and Sdot Negev Regional Council and the rest towards Sderot and Ashkelon. The operation had been planned for many months, during which intelligence was gathered on Hamas' facilities in the Strip. The targets were struck over the course of the day, in which the IAF performed dozens of sorties in Gaza. The IDF has stated that this is only the beginning. In photos released by the IDF many of the targets can be seen clearly, and they include a weapons warehouse and a Hamas training facility. Another target hit by the jets was a Hamas security office, which also held a weapons cache. The building had been previously used by snipers and mortar-launching cells. The central outpost for Hamas' aid forces was also bombed, as well as the former office of the deceased Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. The IAF also attacked a weapons warehouse that held armored cars, two of which were used by Hamas to carry out the terror attack at Kerem Shalom crossing in 2008, in which several soldiers were killed.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Olmert-Barak-Livni might have allowed Hamas to continue strengthening if not for attacks - Disinformation, secrecy and lies: How the Gaza offensive came about

[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:   A quick read of this informative report might leave one with the impression that the reason Israel has allowed Hamas to grow in strength for the last half a year is that Israel needed the 6 months to prepare the IDF campaign. But when you try to develop a timeline based on the article, that falls apart. We have "a comprehensive intelligence-gathering drive" - but it was apparently completed long ago since the fruits of those efforts - "The plan of action that was implemented in Operation Cast Lead remained only a blueprint until a month ago". And then we have the devastatingly disturbing revelation that the Olmert-Barak-Livni team apparently would never have authorized the campaign if Hamas had opted to continue with it ongoing program of strengthening its Iranian proxy army while carrying out only periodic attacks against Israel. It appears that a lack of patience on the part of Hamas has saved the day. Here is the irony: Hamas brags that it is willing to engage in the struggle to destroy the Jewish State even if it takes generations. One would have thought that a group willing to wait generations could control itself for a year or two in order to complete the job of building a full fledged army without interference from Israel. Then again, Arafat made the same mistake. If he and the rest of Fatah had behaved like model citizens instead of the terrorists that they were, he would have ended up heading a sovereign independent state that could then be used as a bridgehead for destroying Israel. ] ================================= Disinformation, secrecy and lies: How the Gaza offensive came about By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent Last update - 00:24 28/12/2008 www.haaretz.com:80/hasen/spages/1050426.html   Long-term preparation, careful gathering of information, secret discussions, operational deception and the misleading of the public - all these stood behind the Israel Defense Forces "Cast Lead" operation against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, which began Saturday morning. The disinformation effort, according to defense officials, took Hamas by surprise and served to significantly increase the number of its casualties in the strike. Sources in the defense establishment said Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for the operation over six months ago, even as Israel was beginning to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. According to the sources, Barak maintained that although the lull would allow Hamas to prepare for a showdown with Israel, the Israeli army needed time to prepare, as well. Barak gave orders to carry out a comprehensive intelligence-gathering drive which sought to map out Hamas' security infrastructure, along with that of other militant organizations operating in the Strip. This intelligence-gathering effort brought back information about permanent bases, weapon silos, training camps, the homes of senior officials and coordinates for other facilities. The plan of action that was implemented in Operation Cast Lead remained only a blueprint until a month ago, when tensions soared after the IDF carried out an incursion into Gaza during the ceasefire to take out a tunnel which the army said was intended to facilitate an attack by Palestinian militants on IDF troops. On November 19, following dozens of Qassam rockets and mortar rounds which exploded on Israeli soil, the plan was brought for Barak's final approval. Last Thursday, on December 18, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the defense minister met at IDF headquarters in central Tel Aviv to approve the operation. However, they decided to put the mission on hold to see whether Hamas would hold its fire after the expiration of the ceasefire. They therefore put off bringing the plan for the cabinet's approval, but they did inform Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni of the developments. That night, in speaking to the media, sources in the Prime Minister's Bureau said that "if the shooting from Gaza continues, the showdown with Hamas would be inevitable." On the weekend, several ministers in Olmert's cabinet inveighed against him and against Barak for not retaliating for Hamas' Qassam launches. "This chatter would have made Entebe or the Six Day War impossible," Barak said in responding to the accusations. The cabinet was eventually convened on Wednesday, but the Prime Minister's Bureau misinformed the media in stating the discussion would revolve around global jihad. The ministers learned only that morning that the discussion would actually pertain to the operation in Gaza. In its summary announcement for the discussion, the Prime Minister's Bureau devoted one line to the situation in Gaza, compared to one whole page that concerned the outlawing of 35 Islamic organizations. What actually went on at the cabinet meeting was a five-hour discussion about the operation in which ministers were briefed about the various blueprints and plans of action. "It was a very detailed review," one minister said. The minister added: "Everyone fully understood what sort of period we were heading into and what sort of scenarios this could lead to. No one could say that he or she did not know what they were voting on." The minister also said that the discussion showed that the lessons of the Winograd Committee about the performance of decision-makers during the 2006 Second Lebanon War were "fully internalized." At the end of the discussion, the ministers unanimously voted in favor of the strike, leaving it for the prime minister, the defense minister and the foreign minister to work out the exact time. While Barak was working out the final details with the officers responsible for the operation, Livni went to Cairo to inform Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak, that Israel had decided to strike at Hamas. In parallel, Israel continued to send out disinformation in announcing it would open the crossings to the Gaza Strip and that Olmert would decide whether to launch the strike following three more deliberations on Sunday - one day after the actual order to launch the operation was issued. "Hamas evacuated all its headquarter personnel after the cabinet meeting on Wednesday," one defense official said, "but the organization sent its people back in when they heard that everything was put on hold until Sunday." The final decision was made on Friday morning, when Barak met with Chief of Staff General Gabi Ashkenazi, the head of the Shin Bet Security Service Yuval Diskin and the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Amos Yadlin. Barak sat down with Olmert and Livni several hours later for a final meeting, in which the trio gave the air force its orders. On Friday night and on Saturday morning, opposition leaders and prominent political figures were informed about the impending strike, including Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, Yisrael Beuiteinu's Avigdor Liebermen, Haim Oron from Meretz and President Shimon Peres, along with Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik.

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Saturday, December 27, 2008

From Lenny Ben-David: War in Gaza and Hamas "Fauxtography"

Israel Attacks Hamas -- Here Comes the Hamas Propaganda Attack Click to see full blog posting with pictures http://lennybendavid.com:80/2008/12/israel-attacks-hamas-here-comes-hamas.html By Lenny Ben-David   As late as Friday, many Israeli citizens were pulling out their hair. Hamas rockets were falling like rain on Israeli civilians. What was Israel waiting for? Why was Israel allowing the delivery of supplies into Gaza? Why were Israeli hospitals treating Palestinians hurt by errant Hamas rockets? Now we have some answers: The humanitarian assistance also served to lull Hamas into believing that Israel was going soft. The attack on the Jewish Sabbath was also unexpected by Hamas. Israeli intelligence was tracking, following, and marking the Hamas leadership, terrorist camps, and rocket crews for months. Hundreds of Hamas soldiers were caught in their bases. It can be assumed that aerial surveillance was able to retrace the steps of rocket crews to observe the locations of rocket warehouses and factories. As a result the Israeli Air Force attacks were remarkably accurate. Now the Propaganda Counterattack The blood libels against Israel have already begun. A British defense writer, Sean Rayment, blasted Israel in a Telegraph (UK) blog today, "The attack on the Gaza strip is proof that Israel is addicted to violence. Slaughtering 155 civilians, many of whom are women and children, can not be justified." An absolute blood libel. No military force in the world is as careful as the Israeli Defense Forces in differentiating combatants from the civilians surrounding them. Note this report from Bloomberg: "Most of the Palestinian dead were members of the Hamas security forces, including police chief Tawfiq Jaber and the head of the organization's Security and Protection Service, Ismail al-Jabary, said Taher Noono, a spokesman for Hamas. " Pictures from Gaza indicate this fact. Note these photos of Palestinian security forces hit in their bases. These are uniformed combatants of a force that declared war on Israel, and they are very legitimate targets according to international law. But now comes the "fauxtography" so prominent in the Lebanon war. Click to see full blog posting with pictures http://lennybendavid.com:80/2008/12/israel-attacks-hamas-here-comes-hamas.html A Washington Post photo essay posted the two pictures above of the Palestinian combatants along with a picture of Palestinian wounded in a Gaza hospital. The picture was accompanied by this caption: Palestinian children and a man wounded in Israeli missile strikes are seen in the emergency area at Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008. Israeli warplanes demolished dozens of Hamas security compounds across Gaza on Saturday in unprecedented waves of simultaneous air strikes. Gaza medics said at least 145 people were killed and more than 310 wounded in the single deadliest day in Gaza fighting in recent memory. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) (Khalil Hamra - AP) The children appear healthy. Would the photographer and caption writer, Khalil Hamra, fake a picture? Yes. Khalil Hamra is the credited AP photographer for many of the pictures of the International Solidarity Movement activities in Gaza, including those of Rachel Corrie. To recall, Rachel Corrie was an American activist who attempted to stop an Israeli bulldozer from destroying Gazan tunnels in 2003. Corrie slipped under the bulldozer, was killed and became a shaheed of the left. Hamra's pictures include this one of Corrie burning an American flag (left). A search of Google images shows hundreds of Hamra's pictures of grieving Palestinians as well as Palestinian dead and wounded. His many pictures of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters and military exercises suggest that Hamra could almost serve as Hamas' official photographer. Click to see full blog posting with pictures http://lennybendavid.com:80/2008/12/israel-attacks-hamas-here-comes-hamas.html Lenny Ben-David I*Consult Business and Government Relations U.S. phone: 202.256.8155 Israel phone: (972.2) 993.4423 Israel cell (972.54) 216.8155 New Address: 3233 M Street NW, Fourth floor Washington, D.C. 20007 e-mail: BenDavid@i-consult.org Blog: www.lennybendavid.com www.i-consult.org

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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Israeli Communities within Range of Rocket Fire - Emergency Instructions for Civilian Population (Ashdod residents - 45 seconds to reach shelters)

IDF Spokesperson Dec 27th, 2008 Israeli Communities within Range of Rocket Fire - Emergency Instructions for Civilian Population The firing of rockets at Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip is expected to continue over the next few days, and may expand to additional area. Therefore, residents are requested to follow directions for preparing a protected room and act in accordance with the instructions at the sound of an alarm, an explosion, or a "Color Red" alert. Residents of villages adjacent to the security fence are asked to remain within shelters tomorrow, in close proximity to protected areas, and are requested not to assemble in groups. All schools and commercial centers will remain closed, with the exception of vital services, such as medical centers, grocery stores and public transit will operate on a limited schedule. Residents in the rest of the villages within range of up to ten km of the Gaza security fence are directed to ensure that they are no more than fifteen seconds from a protected area. Public gatherings in this perimeter are forbidden. Residents of towns in the range of ten to twenty kilometers from Gaza, must be able to enter sheltered areas within thirty seconds. This area includes the cities of Ahkelon, Netivot and the surrounding towns. In these towns, gatherings of up to 100 people are allowed to be held only under reinforced ceilings. Commercial activity will only be allowed to take place in reinforced buildings. Residents of towns in the range of twenty to thirty kilometers from Gaza, must be able to enter sheltered areas within forty-five seconds, and gatherings of up to 500 people are allowed to be held only under reinforced ceilings.. This area includes the cities of Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Mal'achi, Ofakim, Rahat, and the surrounding towns. Educational activity will take place in reinforced buildings only. Commercial activity will only be allowed to take place in reinforced buildings. A number of important issues for the population: The Home Front command has advised the local authorities to open the public shelters. Entrance to the shelters is advised only if they are reachable within the aforementioned time frames. Gatherings near rocket attack sites should be avoided. Unidentified objects and rockets should not be approached. In such instances the police should be notified. Adhering to these guidelines and entering sheltered rooms - saves lives. Additional information can be obtained via the Home Front Command's hot line 1207 and website: www.oref.org.il

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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Israel "cannot accept" ceasefire with Hamas says Barak

Israel "cannot accept" ceasefire with Hamas says Barak Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:13pm GMT http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKTRE4BQ1V120081227 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israel "cannot really accept" a cease-fire with Hamas, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in a U.S. television interview on Saturday, rejecting calls by the United Nations and the European Union for a truce after Israeli air strikes killed 227 people in Gaza. "For us to be asked to have a cease-fire with Hamas is like asking you to have a cease-fire with al Qaeda. It's something we cannot really accept," Barak told Fox News from Tel Aviv. Asked whether Israel would follow up the air strikes with a ground offensive, Barak said, "If boots on the ground will be needed, they will be there." "Our intention is to totally change the rules of the game," he said. (Reporting by Mohammad Zargham; editing by Chris Wilson) =========== ==================== DEBKAfile - We start where the media stop Next: Israel prepares Gaza ground incursion, Hamas gears for suicide terror DEBKAfile Special Analysis December 27, 2008, 11:15 PM (GMT+02:00) DEBKAfile's military sources assess the next stage of Israel's Gaza campaign as being a ground incursion of the Gaza Strip, to follow up the air bombardment of Hamas compounds Saturday, Dec. 27. Hamas estimates that in four minutes, dozens of Israeli bombers and helicopters flattened 30 "high profile" sites. At least 350 Palestinians were killed, 90 percent of them Hamas operatives, and between 700 and 800 more were injured. Some of the casualties are still buried under the rubble. The blow sustained by the Palestinian Islamist terrorist group was massive by any military standards and severely upset its military equilibrium. Its retaliation against Israeli towns and villages was therefore slower and smaller in scope that Israel expected. The fifty plus missiles fired into Israel included a small number of 42-range Grad Katyusha rockets made in Iran. One Israeli was killed and several injured in Netivot and three more hurt when Sderot synagogue too a direct missile hit. Nonetheless, Hamas will not show a white flag, even after losing hundreds of its military and police personnel, including top commanders, and will make a supreme effort to retaliate from the Gaza Strip as well as mobilizing its substantial Hizballah-backed command center in Lebanon. Hamas operatives will be pressed into service as suicide terrorists. They remain active after Israeli units and Mahmoud Abbas' special forces trained by US and British instructors conducted systematic crackdowns to crush them for more than a year. The second blow in the form of a formidable Israeli ground incursion without delay is therefore imperative to prevent Hamas getting its second wind. While Israel's air attack is counted a success, its war chiefs are taking care not to be trapped by an early achievement into the sort of blunders which led to the Lebanon war's unsatisfactory conclusion in 2006. That campaign was commanded by a former airman, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, who saw no point in a ground operation after Hizballah's command center was razed by air – until it was too late. The first objective of a ground force in the coming hours will be to destroy "Lower Gaza," the underground city designed by an Iranian general and spread under most of the enclave's area. This subterranean sanctuary kept the bulk of the Hamas army, 15,000 men, their officers and leaders, out of harm's way during the Israeli air offensive Saturday. Their resistance must be broken before Hamas can be brought to surrender. Until then they will fight on. The second Israeli objective must be to sever the Gaza Strip from Egypt by recapturing the Philadelphi border strip. These missions are formidable indeed and may take weeks of ups and downs, which is why prime minister Ehud Olmert's goal of restoring normal lives to the people of southern Israel is a lot less simplistic than it sounds. The air operation was indeed just the beginning. Copyright 2000-2008 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved. DEBKAfile - We start where the media stop Israel air strikes continue in S. Gaza after 225 killed in earlier raids of Hamas sites DEBKAfile Special Report December 27, 2008, 11:01 PM (GMT+02:00) Israeli bombers hit Hamas' film center in southern Gaza Saturday night, Dec. 27, after massive air raids destroyed Hamas compounds across the enclave leaving 225 killed, 330 injured and thousands of shock victims. The operation followed a week in which Hamas fired 200 missiles at Israeli civilian targets. The Israeli Air Force planes struck Hamas security headquarters in Gaza City and compounds, police stations and ports. Several Hamas commanders were killed in the bombardment of a Hamas military passing-out ceremony. Among them was Hamas police chief Tawfiq Jabber. The Israeli military spokesman said the Gaza operation is "just beginning" and would be expanded and intensified as necessary. Hamas and other Palestinian factions ordered its "fighters to avenge Israeli attacks." A Israeli was killed in Netivot in its first reprisal. Egypt has condemned Israel for its military attack, but held Hamas responsible for refusing to heed warnings and failing to protect the Palestinian people. It has mobilized its rescue and medical services in Sinai, including hospitals for aid to casualties for the Israeli air bombardment of Gaza. Egyptian ambulances stood by at the Rafah crossing to transport wounded Hamas operatives. The Israeli air attack launching some 40 missiles began 11.30 a.m. local time Saturday, eight days after Hamas terminated the informal Gaza ceasefire by showering missiles and mortar rounds on 250,000 Israeli civilians day after day. Last week, the Israeli cabinet gave the Israeli military the green light for reprisals as Palestinian missile attacks escalated, 13 mortar rounds fired Friday, when Israel allowed 90 trucks of food and medicines to cross into the Gaza Strip. Since Israel evacuated the Gaza Strip in 2005, the Palestinians have fired 5,000 missiles. Copyright 2000-2008 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.

The Hamas army

Dec. 27, 2008
Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST

Hamas, once known for its suicide attacks inside Israeli cities, is no longer a small-time terrorist group but today is a large guerilla army which has well-trained forces deployed throughout the entire Gaza Strip.

Since Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005, Hamas has created a military with a clear hierarchy, led by the Hamas "chief of staff" - Ahmed Ja'abri.

Ja'abri is in his late forties and has been in Israel's sights for a number of years. In 2004, Israeli Air Force jets fired several missiles at Ja'abri's home in the Sajiya neighborhood of Gaza City. Ja'abri escaped the assassination attempt with moderate wounds. Five others were killed.

Since then, he has slowly climbed the Hamas ranks and today is believed to be the terror group's so-called "chief of staff," replacing arch-terrorist Mohammed Deff who was seriously wounded in an Israeli air strike in July 2006.

Hamas has split the Gaza Strip into five sections corresponding to five different brigades in the north, center, Gaza City, and two brigades in the south. Each brigade has a commander as well as several battalions under its command. Alongside the battalions there are Special Forces - units with expertise in rocket fire, mortar attacks, roadside bombs and commando forces.

In Gaza, if the IDF embarked on a ground operation it would face an army of close to 20,000 armed men, among them at least 15,000 Hamas operatives. The rest are from Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Resistance Committees.

Ja'abri is commander of Gaza City. Ahmed Andour is in charge in the north. Iman Nufal, commander of central Gaza, is in Egyptian custody after he was arrested last year when he entered the Sinai Peninsula. There are also two brigades in the south - one in Khan Younis and one in Rafah. The commanders there are Mahmoud Sanour and Ra'ad Alatour.

Andour is believed to be Ja'abri's right-hand man and together the two were behind the attacks against Fatah militiamen in the summer of 2007, which led to Hamas's takeover of the Gaza Strip. Ja'abri and Andour are believed to have masterminded the June 2006 kidnapping of Gilad Shalit.

Since the cease-fire went into effect in Gaza in June, Hamas used the lull in action to fortify its military posts in the Gaza Strip and to dig tunnel systems as well as underground bunkers for its forces. IDF estimates put the length of the tunnels at over 50 kilometers.

Hamas has also dug foxholes throughout the Strip for anti-tank missile units as well as for massive bombs which have been placed on the main access roads into Gaza.

In addition to its homemade Kassam rockets, Hamas has smuggled into the Gaza Strip a number of anti-aircraft cannons as well as several shoulder-to-air missiles. It also has a large number of anti-tank missiles that if used correctly could wreak havoc on Israeli armor in the event of a ground operation involving tanks and armored personnel carriers.

"Hamas has learned a lot from Hizbullah and has adopted many of the Lebanese group's tactics which were used successfully against the IDF in the Second Lebanon War," one official said.

IDF sources said that it was likely that several senior Hamas operatives and commanders were killed in Saturday's air strike.

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1230111720859&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Prayer for the Welfare of Soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces

www.azm.org/soldiers_prayers.shtml#   May He who blessed our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, bless the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces who keep guard over our country and cities of our Lord from the border with Lebanon to the Egyptian desert and from the Mediterranean Sea to the approach to the Arava, be they on land, air or sea. May the Almighty deliver us our enemies who arise against us, may the Holy One, blessed be He, preserve them and save them from all sorrow and peril, from danger and ill. May He send blessing and success in all their endeavors, may He deliver to them those who hate us and crown them with salvation and victory, so that the saying may be fulfilled through them, "For the Lord, your God, who walks with you and to fight your enemies for you and to save you", and let us say, Amen.