1. Rocket Hits Ashkelon Apartment
by Hana Levi Julian
An apartment building in Ashkelon sustained a direct hit in a Grad rocket attack from Gaza at around 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. Two rockets were launched in the attack; the second missile landed in an open area elsewhere in the city. Two women suffered minor shrapnel wounds and seven other people were treated for severe emotional trauma before being evacuated to Barzilai Medical Center.
A mortar shell also struck the Sdot Negev Kibbutz at about the same time, igniting a fire. No one was injured, and firefighters raced to the scene to contain the blaze.
Gaza terrorists resumed firing the rockets after a 12-hour period of quiet while Israel was considering a United Nations ceasefire proposal.
A few minutes before 9:00 a.m. terrorists fired a barrage of two long-range Grad rockets at the port city of Ashdod. Both exploded in open areas around the city. One man was lightly injured, according to local reports.
Four short-range Kassam rockets were also fired at the Eshkol and Sha'ar HaNegev regions. No one was hurt and no damage was reported in any of the attacks.
Soldier Killed
St.-Sgt. Alexander Mishbitzki, 21, from Be'er Sheva, was killed, and four soldiers were lightly wounded, in a clash Tuesday morning with terrorists in northern Gaza City. He was the seventh military casualty of the war in Gaza; three civilians have also been killed.
Government Meeting
The Security Cabinet is meeting to discuss the progress of Operation Cast Lead and the current developments in the region and abroad. A decision will be reached later in the day as to whether and how to move ahead with military activities in Gaza, said government officials.
Comment on this story
by Hana Levi Julian
An apartment building in Ashkelon sustained a direct hit in a Grad rocket attack from Gaza at around 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. Two rockets were launched in the attack; the second missile landed in an open area elsewhere in the city. Two women suffered minor shrapnel wounds and seven other people were treated for severe emotional trauma before being evacuated to Barzilai Medical Center.
A mortar shell also struck the Sdot Negev Kibbutz at about the same time, igniting a fire. No one was injured, and firefighters raced to the scene to contain the blaze.
Gaza terrorists resumed firing the rockets after a 12-hour period of quiet while Israel was considering a United Nations ceasefire proposal.
A few minutes before 9:00 a.m. terrorists fired a barrage of two long-range Grad rockets at the port city of Ashdod. Both exploded in open areas around the city. One man was lightly injured, according to local reports.
Four short-range Kassam rockets were also fired at the Eshkol and Sha'ar HaNegev regions. No one was hurt and no damage was reported in any of the attacks.
Soldier Killed
St.-Sgt. Alexander Mishbitzki, 21, from Be'er Sheva, was killed, and four soldiers were lightly wounded, in a clash Tuesday morning with terrorists in northern Gaza City. He was the seventh military casualty of the war in Gaza; three civilians have also been killed.
Government Meeting
The Security Cabinet is meeting to discuss the progress of Operation Cast Lead and the current developments in the region and abroad. A decision will be reached later in the day as to whether and how to move ahead with military activities in Gaza, said government officials.
Comment on this story
2. IDF: Hamas Fired from UN School
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hamas fired mortar shells from a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) school in Jabalya before the IDF retaliated with aerial bombing that killed Hamas terrorists as well as children, according to an initial IDF investigation.
"Amongst the dead at the Jabalya school were Hamas terror operatives and a mortar battery cell who were firing on IDF forces in the area," the IDF said. "We face a very delicate situation where the Hamas is using the citizens of Gaza as a protective vest," according to IDF spokesman Brig. General Avi Benayahu.
Click here to see the video of Hamas firing mortars from the UN School
The military said that it appeared "a number of mortar shells were fired at IDF forces from within the Jabalya school. In response to the incoming enemy fire, the forces returned mortar fire to the source." The IDF added that most probably a secondary explosion from explosives within the building added to the destruction.
"This is not the first time that Hamas has fired mortars and rockets from schools, in such a way deliberately using civilians as human shields in their acts of terror against Israel," according to the military. "This was already proven several months ago by footage from an unmanned plane depicting rockets and mortars being fired from the yard of an UNRWA school."
Israel faces a new flood of protests over the bombing. The IDF's initial conclusions were released four hours after international media blamed Israel and showed the bodies of children buried under rubble.
The U.N. used the school to shelter children, and before the IDF was able to report its initial report, Hamas used the incident to appeal to the U.N. for a ceasefire.
CNN quoted UNRWA director John Ging, as saying that "everybody here is terrorized by the situation [a "there is no place that you can be safe if you're a civilian here."
Despite the IDF clarification, foreign media played down the Hamas' use of the school and emphasized the IDF shelling. Reuters reported, "The Israeli military said its forces fired mortar rounds on a school in the Gaza Strip where about 40 Palestinians were reported killed on Tuesday, but said troops were responding to mortar fire from the U.N. premises."
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hamas fired mortar shells from a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) school in Jabalya before the IDF retaliated with aerial bombing that killed Hamas terrorists as well as children, according to an initial IDF investigation.
"Amongst the dead at the Jabalya school were Hamas terror operatives and a mortar battery cell who were firing on IDF forces in the area," the IDF said. "We face a very delicate situation where the Hamas is using the citizens of Gaza as a protective vest," according to IDF spokesman Brig. General Avi Benayahu.
Click here to see the video of Hamas firing mortars from the UN School
The military said that it appeared "a number of mortar shells were fired at IDF forces from within the Jabalya school. In response to the incoming enemy fire, the forces returned mortar fire to the source." The IDF added that most probably a secondary explosion from explosives within the building added to the destruction.
"This is not the first time that Hamas has fired mortars and rockets from schools, in such a way deliberately using civilians as human shields in their acts of terror against Israel," according to the military. "This was already proven several months ago by footage from an unmanned plane depicting rockets and mortars being fired from the yard of an UNRWA school."
Israel faces a new flood of protests over the bombing. The IDF's initial conclusions were released four hours after international media blamed Israel and showed the bodies of children buried under rubble.
The U.N. used the school to shelter children, and before the IDF was able to report its initial report, Hamas used the incident to appeal to the U.N. for a ceasefire.
CNN quoted UNRWA director John Ging, as saying that "everybody here is terrorized by the situation [a "there is no place that you can be safe if you're a civilian here."
Despite the IDF clarification, foreign media played down the Hamas' use of the school and emphasized the IDF shelling. Reuters reported, "The Israeli military said its forces fired mortar rounds on a school in the Gaza Strip where about 40 Palestinians were reported killed on Tuesday, but said troops were responding to mortar fire from the U.N. premises."
Comment on this story
3. UNRWA: UN Schools Ban Terrorists
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Chris Gunness said terrorists are not allowed in its schools, and he demanded an "impartial" probe into IDF reports that Hamas shot mortars next to a school. He said he did not know off hand what constitutes an impartial body.
"If there have been violations on either side, we want those responsible brought to justice," he told Israel National News. He added that he cannot comment on the IDF report that it shelled a UNRWA school after terrorists attacked soldiers with mortars from within the building.
At least 30 people, including children, died in the shelling, and the IDF reported that several Hamas terrorists also were killed.
"Allegations that UNRWA facilities are used by militants are always investigated and we will cooperate so our name can be cleared," Gunness stated. He also said he wants proof of the IDF claim that terrorists were killed in the shelling.
When questioned about an IDF video showing terrorists firing rockets from within the UNRWA schoolyard in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza October 2007, Gunness admitted that the school had been used for such purposes but without knowledge of UNRWA and only after it was deserted.
Gunness explained that the terrorists entered after the UN had evacuated children and teachers because of an Israel military operation. "We did not open the doors" for them, he added.
Gunness also claimed that the UNRWA teacher who was discovered to be a rocket manufacturer in his off hours was sacked and that his family did not receive pensions that usually are granted to workers.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Chris Gunness said terrorists are not allowed in its schools, and he demanded an "impartial" probe into IDF reports that Hamas shot mortars next to a school. He said he did not know off hand what constitutes an impartial body.
"If there have been violations on either side, we want those responsible brought to justice," he told Israel National News. He added that he cannot comment on the IDF report that it shelled a UNRWA school after terrorists attacked soldiers with mortars from within the building.
At least 30 people, including children, died in the shelling, and the IDF reported that several Hamas terrorists also were killed.
"Allegations that UNRWA facilities are used by militants are always investigated and we will cooperate so our name can be cleared," Gunness stated. He also said he wants proof of the IDF claim that terrorists were killed in the shelling.
When questioned about an IDF video showing terrorists firing rockets from within the UNRWA schoolyard in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza October 2007, Gunness admitted that the school had been used for such purposes but without knowledge of UNRWA and only after it was deserted.
Gunness explained that the terrorists entered after the UN had evacuated children and teachers because of an Israel military operation. "We did not open the doors" for them, he added.
Gunness also claimed that the UNRWA teacher who was discovered to be a rocket manufacturer in his off hours was sacked and that his family did not receive pensions that usually are granted to workers.
Comment on this story
4. Hamas Executes Gaza Residents
by Hana Levi Julian
The Hamas terrorist organization has reportedly executed several Gaza residents accused of passing information to Israel. The victims were accused of helping the IAF conduct air strikes and IDF ground forces carry out assassinations in Gaza.
Among those killed were three brothers, all of whom were executed in public. A fourth brother was murdered by Hamas supporters earlier in the week after they escaped a prison run by the guerrilla group.
A total of six Gaza residents were executed by Hamas since last week, all of whom were accused of being collaborators. A spokesman for Hamas said that all of those who were killed had confessed to the charges against them.
Gaza Terrorists Forcing Residents at Gunpoint to Face IDF
"Hamas has no regard for human life," IDF Major Peter Lerner, head of Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) told Israel National News.
"We have had reports of Palestinians being held at gunpoint in order to put them at the front, in order to increase the number of Palestinian casualties on the Gaza side," Lerner said. "Hamas is doing it all the time."
According to intelligence reports, he added, the terrorists are stopping Gaza residents from evacuating their homes in order to flee the fighting. "Hamas is not letting them go," he said. "They want to increase the numbers of wounded and dead Palestinians for the cameras."
IDF Warned Residents to Flee Combat Areas
Israel made a special effort before beginning ground operations to warn residents to get out of the way and move to safer areas in order to reduce the number of civilian casualties.
The IDF made some 90,000 cell phone calls to Gaza residents, broadcasting a warning message in Arabic to let them know that military forces were approaching their area.
Flyers written in Arabic were also dropped on targeted areas of conflict as well prior to operations, telling residents to leave the area because Israeli forces were planning to attack terrorist targets in the neighborhood.
Hamas Guerrillas Stealing Humanitarian Aid
Hamas terrorists have also been stealing the food, medical supplies, medicines and other items shipped into Gaza for the impoverished residents by international aid organizations.
At least two convoys of aid trucks were hijacked by Hamas terrorists in the past several days, one carrying fuel and the other carrying basic food commodities and medical supplies. The trucks were seized by Hamas and allied terrorist forces as they entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
Sources have said that Hamas takes a cut of all international aid that arrives in Gaza through the crossings. Supplies that are not kept are sold to the residents that were meant to receive them for free, in order to raise money for Hamas terrorist operations.
According to Lerner, some 49 truckloads of humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Tuesday. Kerem Shalom has the capacity to process a total of 100 truckloads of supplies per day, he explained. "We usually work during daylight hours; from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. we load and offload the supplies on to the Palestinian side. That is the amount of time it takes to load 100 trucks." He noted that security concerns had prevented the transfer of supplies on Sunday, but that hundreds of truckloads of aid had been delivered the week before.
Comment on this story
by Hana Levi Julian
The Hamas terrorist organization has reportedly executed several Gaza residents accused of passing information to Israel. The victims were accused of helping the IAF conduct air strikes and IDF ground forces carry out assassinations in Gaza.
Among those killed were three brothers, all of whom were executed in public. A fourth brother was murdered by Hamas supporters earlier in the week after they escaped a prison run by the guerrilla group.
A total of six Gaza residents were executed by Hamas since last week, all of whom were accused of being collaborators. A spokesman for Hamas said that all of those who were killed had confessed to the charges against them.
Gaza Terrorists Forcing Residents at Gunpoint to Face IDF
"Hamas has no regard for human life," IDF Major Peter Lerner, head of Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) told Israel National News.
"We have had reports of Palestinians being held at gunpoint in order to put them at the front, in order to increase the number of Palestinian casualties on the Gaza side," Lerner said. "Hamas is doing it all the time."
According to intelligence reports, he added, the terrorists are stopping Gaza residents from evacuating their homes in order to flee the fighting. "Hamas is not letting them go," he said. "They want to increase the numbers of wounded and dead Palestinians for the cameras."
IDF Warned Residents to Flee Combat Areas
Israel made a special effort before beginning ground operations to warn residents to get out of the way and move to safer areas in order to reduce the number of civilian casualties.
The IDF made some 90,000 cell phone calls to Gaza residents, broadcasting a warning message in Arabic to let them know that military forces were approaching their area.
Flyers written in Arabic were also dropped on targeted areas of conflict as well prior to operations, telling residents to leave the area because Israeli forces were planning to attack terrorist targets in the neighborhood.
Hamas Guerrillas Stealing Humanitarian Aid
Hamas terrorists have also been stealing the food, medical supplies, medicines and other items shipped into Gaza for the impoverished residents by international aid organizations.
At least two convoys of aid trucks were hijacked by Hamas terrorists in the past several days, one carrying fuel and the other carrying basic food commodities and medical supplies. The trucks were seized by Hamas and allied terrorist forces as they entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
Sources have said that Hamas takes a cut of all international aid that arrives in Gaza through the crossings. Supplies that are not kept are sold to the residents that were meant to receive them for free, in order to raise money for Hamas terrorist operations.
According to Lerner, some 49 truckloads of humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Tuesday. Kerem Shalom has the capacity to process a total of 100 truckloads of supplies per day, he explained. "We usually work during daylight hours; from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. we load and offload the supplies on to the Palestinian side. That is the amount of time it takes to load 100 trucks." He noted that security concerns had prevented the transfer of supplies on Sunday, but that hundreds of truckloads of aid had been delivered the week before.
Comment on this story
5. Study: Hamas Uses Human Shield
by Gil Ronen
Israel's notifications to civilians in Gaza to leave populated locations before they are bombed are cynically used by Hamas for organizing human shields, a new study says.
The study by the Terror and Intelligence Information Center shows that when the IDF warns Arab civilians of an impending attack in their neighborhood, Hamas uses the information in order to organize the civilians into human shields in the hope of protecting the targets from the IDF's wrath.
Flyers rain on Gaza
Blue Eye
Hamas's de facto prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and other top terrorists, including Nizar Riyan, who was killed in the course of Operation Cast Lead, have publicly boasted of using the warnings as “intelligence” and then using civilians, including women and children, as human shields to protect the homes of terrorists.
Flyers over Gaza
Blue Eye
The tactic is a “win-win” for Hamas: If the IDF cancels its planned attack on a terror target, the terrorists receive a respite. If the IDF attacks despite the human shields, it can then be portrayed as a killer of women and children. The tactic was inspired by the experience of Hizbullah is using such methods against Israel, the study determines.
Use of civilians as human shields and purposely firing at Israel from densely populated areas is a war crime, the researchers say. Yet terror units that specialize in launching rockets and mortars often carry out the launches next to or even from inside civilian residential buildings, schools and mosques.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Israel's notifications to civilians in Gaza to leave populated locations before they are bombed are cynically used by Hamas for organizing human shields, a new study says.
The study by the Terror and Intelligence Information Center shows that when the IDF warns Arab civilians of an impending attack in their neighborhood, Hamas uses the information in order to organize the civilians into human shields in the hope of protecting the targets from the IDF's wrath.
Flyers rain on Gaza
Blue Eye
Hamas's de facto prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and other top terrorists, including Nizar Riyan, who was killed in the course of Operation Cast Lead, have publicly boasted of using the warnings as “intelligence” and then using civilians, including women and children, as human shields to protect the homes of terrorists.
Flyers over Gaza
Blue Eye
The tactic is a “win-win” for Hamas: If the IDF cancels its planned attack on a terror target, the terrorists receive a respite. If the IDF attacks despite the human shields, it can then be portrayed as a killer of women and children. The tactic was inspired by the experience of Hizbullah is using such methods against Israel, the study determines.
Use of civilians as human shields and purposely firing at Israel from densely populated areas is a war crime, the researchers say. Yet terror units that specialize in launching rockets and mortars often carry out the launches next to or even from inside civilian residential buildings, schools and mosques.
Comment on this story
6. Final: Raze Terrorist's Home
by Hillel Fendel
After months of legal proceedings and appeals, Supreme Court Justice Rivlin has issued a final ruling: The housing unit in which the Arab murderer of eight yeshiva students lived will be razed.
Baruch Marzel, a leader in the campaign to have the terrorist's home destroyed, told IsraelNationalNews that the actual destruction will likely take place in a week or so. "This building not only houses a terrorist, but is also illegal," Marzel said. "I am happy that the Supreme Court has approved the destruction of an illegal home, but there are thousands more like it that have to be taken down as well."
The murderer's home, in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukabar, has been targeted for destruction since the massacre on March 6 of last year. His family members, who set up a mourners' tent in his honor decorated with Hamas and Hizbullah flags, hold Israeli IDs, as did the murderer himself.
Zaka volunteer places blood-soaked garments of dead yeshiva students in bag for Jewish burial. March 6, 2008
Israel news photo: Zaka
The terrorist entered the Yeshiva library on a Thursday evening, when many students were in another wing of the building celebrating the upcoming joyous Purim month of Adar, and opened fire on the students sitting and studying. Only after some minutes were two men - part-time yeshiva student Yitzchak Dadon, and yeshiva graduate and paratroopers officer David Shapira - able to fire at the murderer and kill him.
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, a former head of the General Security Service, said six days after the murders that the home should be razed, in accordance with customary practice regarding terrorist murderers.
He also said that Arab residents of Jerusalem have been involved in at least 20% of terrorist attacks against Israelis. Dichter added that Israel must find ways, including expulsion, to deal with Israeli-Arab terrorists who use their State-granted privileges to harm the State.
Despite Dichter's order to raze the house, legal obstacles surfaced almost immediately when the relevant army officials refused to sign the order. Only in August did Defense Minister Ehud Barak give his consent to have the home razed.
The Arab family appealed the decision, was turned down, appealed again - and has now received final word that there will be no more appeals and that the portion in which the murderer lived is to be destroyed.
Deputy Supreme Court Chief Justice Eliezer Rivlin overruled the family's claim citing the fact that "home razing orders" were not issued in three years. He stated that the order may be implemented even against citizens, that it jibes with Israel's Basic Laws, and that it serves Israel's deterrence needs.
Discuss this topic on the new Israel Politics & Activism forum
Comment on this story
by Hillel Fendel
After months of legal proceedings and appeals, Supreme Court Justice Rivlin has issued a final ruling: The housing unit in which the Arab murderer of eight yeshiva students lived will be razed.
Baruch Marzel, a leader in the campaign to have the terrorist's home destroyed, told IsraelNationalNews that the actual destruction will likely take place in a week or so. "This building not only houses a terrorist, but is also illegal," Marzel said. "I am happy that the Supreme Court has approved the destruction of an illegal home, but there are thousands more like it that have to be taken down as well."
The murderer's home, in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukabar, has been targeted for destruction since the massacre on March 6 of last year. His family members, who set up a mourners' tent in his honor decorated with Hamas and Hizbullah flags, hold Israeli IDs, as did the murderer himself.
Zaka volunteer places blood-soaked garments of dead yeshiva students in bag for Jewish burial. March 6, 2008
Israel news photo: Zaka
The terrorist entered the Yeshiva library on a Thursday evening, when many students were in another wing of the building celebrating the upcoming joyous Purim month of Adar, and opened fire on the students sitting and studying. Only after some minutes were two men - part-time yeshiva student Yitzchak Dadon, and yeshiva graduate and paratroopers officer David Shapira - able to fire at the murderer and kill him.
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, a former head of the General Security Service, said six days after the murders that the home should be razed, in accordance with customary practice regarding terrorist murderers.
He also said that Arab residents of Jerusalem have been involved in at least 20% of terrorist attacks against Israelis. Dichter added that Israel must find ways, including expulsion, to deal with Israeli-Arab terrorists who use their State-granted privileges to harm the State.
Despite Dichter's order to raze the house, legal obstacles surfaced almost immediately when the relevant army officials refused to sign the order. Only in August did Defense Minister Ehud Barak give his consent to have the home razed.
The Arab family appealed the decision, was turned down, appealed again - and has now received final word that there will be no more appeals and that the portion in which the murderer lived is to be destroyed.
Deputy Supreme Court Chief Justice Eliezer Rivlin overruled the family's claim citing the fact that "home razing orders" were not issued in three years. He stated that the order may be implemented even against citizens, that it jibes with Israel's Basic Laws, and that it serves Israel's deterrence needs.
Discuss this topic on the new Israel Politics & Activism forum
Comment on this story
7. IAF Participates From Above
by IsraelNN TV Staff
The footage below was shot by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, which has made a special effort during Operation Cast Lead to keep the public informed as to the actions of the army, navy and air force. The film below shows Israel Air Force participation in ground maneuvers in Gaza.
Click here to view the film.
Comment on this story
by IsraelNN TV Staff
The footage below was shot by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, which has made a special effort during Operation Cast Lead to keep the public informed as to the actions of the army, navy and air force. The film below shows Israel Air Force participation in ground maneuvers in Gaza.
Click here to view the film.
Comment on this story
Posts
