Shelled UN building used by Hamas
Jan. 15, 2009
yaakov katz and ap , THE JERUSALEM POST
yaakov katz and ap , THE JERUSALEM POST
Gunshots and an anti-tank missile were fired at IDF troops near the UN compound that was attacked by the IDF on Thursday, senior defense official told The Jerusalem Post.
Accordng to the officials, the IDF responded by firing artillery shells at the location of the gunmen and that the shells caused damage to the UN installations. At least three people were wounded and the building was set on fire.
The IDF's Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration coordinated the arrival of five fire trucks to the compound to help put out the flames.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in Israel Thursday to promote a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, expressed "strong protest and outrage" at the reported shelling of the UN compound.
Ban also demanded an investigation into the shelling, and said Defense Minister Ehud Barak had told him it was a "grave mistake."
Palestinians reported that an IDF tank shell also struck one of the wings of a Gaza hospital midday Thursday. Witnesses said part of the structure was on fire. The army said that the building was also being used by Hamas men who were firing on IDF troops.
In total, IAF aircraft struck some 35 targets in the Strip throughout the morning, including armed cells and rocket launch positions.
IDF troops also opened fire at two UN vehicles in the Strip on Thursday. One of the cars had no markings identifying it as belonging to the organization. The other was marked as a UN car, but gunshots were fired from it at IDF troops, who returned fire.
On Thursday morning, IDF tanks fired shells at three high-rise buildings in the Tel Hawwa neighborhood of Gaza City, according to Palestinian witnesses.
Palestinian reports said that the IDF hit a multi-story media building that houses several media outlets, including Reuters, Al Arabiya and the BBC. Witnesses said that a Qatari journalist was wounded and that the building was evacuated.
Defense officials said Hamas operatives had barricaded themselves inside the press office in Gaza, and were using people there as human shields. There were 23 people inside, said the officials.
As IAF aircraft hammered targets in Gaza City, ground troops advanced into a crowded residential area on the city's outskirts. Thousands of residents were reportedly fleeing their homes as Israel ground forces were reportedly moving deeper into Gaza City. The targeted buildings are about 1.5 kilometers from the ground forces.
The move marked the deepest thrust into the city in the twenty days of Operation Cast Lead.
Meanwhile, the IDF was observing a daily "humanitarian corridor" between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., to allow for the transfer of humanitarian aid into the Strip, and for Gazans to stock up on necessary supplies.
In a statement released Thursday morning, Defense Ministry spokesman Peter Lerner said that a total of 1,136 trucks of humanitarian supplies have been transferred to Gazans since the beginning of the IDF operation in the Strip, as well as fuel trucks and medical personnel.
The statement added that the electrical grid in the Gaza Strip was functioning at 74% capacity, up from 40% at the beginning of the operation.
Lerner said the state of the electrical supply was "a direct result of the coordination between the IDF, the Palestinian Energy Authority and the International Committee of the Red Cross."
In previous days, Hamas attacks on the South have continued during these pauses in operations.
While the number of rockets fired has dropped dramatically in recent day, at least 22 rockets were fired at the western Negev on Thursday morning.
Overnight Wednesday, IAF aircraft struck some 70 targets, including weapons positions, rocket squads and a mosque in southern Gaza that it said served as a rockets arsenal, according to the IDF. Palestinian medical officials said seven people were killed in the strikes. Four of those killed were in the southern strip and three in Gaza City, according to Army Radio.
Also Wednesday overnight, the IAF attacked five armed Palestinians who turned out to be the personal bodyguards of senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar. The five men were reportedly guarding Zahar's house in southern Gaza City and were all killed, according to reports.
Eleven IDF soldiers were wounded overnight Wednesday in clashes with Hamas gunmen.
Elana Kirsh and jpost.com staff contributed to this report
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1231950855726&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
Analysis: Hamas's security kingpin
Jan. 15, 2009
Khaled Abu Toameh , THE JERUSALEM POST
Khaled Abu Toameh , THE JERUSALEM POST
The death of Said Siam is not only a blow to Hamas morale, but also a personal setback for Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Zahar, the group's "foreign minister."
The two lost not only a longtime friend, but also the man who was in charge of their personal security. In addition, Siam's main task was to ensure the stability of the Hamas regime and thwart any attempt by Fatah to regain control of the Gaza Strip.
Siam was considered by many Palestinians to be the movement's "defense minister." In his capacity as minister of interior in the Hamas government headed by Haniyeh, the 50-year-old Siam was in charge of all of the security forces and armed groups operating in the Gaza Strip.
Siam, who won the largest number of votes in his constituency during the January 2006 parliamentary election, was first appointed interior minister in the Hamas government sworn in by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
But Siam clashed with the Fatah security chiefs in the Gaza Strip, who refused to operate under his jurisdiction and instead reported to Abbas.
In response, Siam established his own security force, known as the Executive Force, which served as another Hamas armed group in Gaza. The Force, which consisted of more than 12,000 gunmen, reported directly to Siam, and its men often clashed with rival Fatah policemen.
Siam resigned when Fatah and Hamas decided to form a national unity government in line with an agreement reached in Mecca under the auspices of the Saudi ruling family.
When the Fatah-Hamas coalition collapsed a few months later, Siam returned to his former post.
In the summer of 2007, he played a major role in the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip. Fatah operatives and leaders continued to regard him as a fierce enemy after they were forced to flee to Egypt and the West Bank.
Siam, a former school teacher who graduated from a college in Ramallah, was first arrested by Israel in 1988. He was sentenced to four years in prison for security offenses and membership in a terror organization.
In 1992 he was among some 400 Hamas members Israel deported to southern Lebanon in response to the kidnapping and murder of a Border Police officer.
Siam also spent some time in Palestinian Authority prison after the PA was established in 1994.
The Fatah leadership in Ramallah considered Siam its No. 1 enemy, especially after he announced that Hamas had seized documents in a formerly Fatah-controlled security headquarters that proved the PA had been collaborating with Israel against Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
Siam also enraged the Fatah leaders by threatening to publish documents that were seized by Hamas and showed that the PA security forces had been spying on the PA leadership and some Arab countries.
As in the case of Nizar Rayyan, another senior Hamas representative killed by Israel during Operation Cast Lead, it was hard on Thursday to find words of sympathy for Siam among Fatah members or the PA leadership in the West Bank.
On the contrary, a number of Fatah and PA officials privately expressed relief over the killing of Siam and said that his absence from the scene would pave the way for reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.
Siam was seen as the No. 2 Hamas man in the Gaza Strip, and some of his supporters considered him the future successor to Haniyeh.
***
Many comments posted by Palestinians on Fatah-controlled Web sites expressed joy over the assassination.
The Palpress News Agency, which is run by followers of former Fatah security chief Muhammad Dahlan, published dozens of talkbacks in which readers openly rejoiced.
The agency quoted "reliable sources" in the Gaza Strip as saying that one of Siam's bodyguards had tipped the Israelis about his whereabouts. The sources said that Hamas militiamen executed the bodyguard shortly after the assassination.
Some of the talkbacks read as follows:
Falastinyah: He [Siam] was a swine. To hell with him! We hope that the remaining pigs would follow him.
Lovers of [slain Fatah operative] Samih Madhoun: Justice has finally been done!
Muhammad: He got what he deserved. May Allah punish him for his deeds.
Ahmed: We will never forgive him for his gruesome crimes against Fatah. Apparently Allah turned him into a martyr to absolve him of his many sins.
Victims of Said Siam: We won't forget the 700 Fatah people who were killed by Siam.
Zeer55: We love you, Ehud Barak. This is really a great hit, Mr. Barak, and we fully support you. Please make us happy by going after the rest of them.
Son of the North: To hell, you murderer. We hope that it would now be the turn of the despicable Mahmoud Zahar.
Abu Majd: This man does not deserve to be called a martyr. Siam's hands are stained with the blood of many innocent Muslims.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1231950868535&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
Hamas Offers Ceasefire, Threatens Revenge
Tevet 19, 5769, 15 January 09 09:50
by Maayana Miskin(IsraelNN.com) Hamas has offered to stop attacking Israel for one year if Israel will open its western Negev crossings to Gaza, Egyptian officials announced Thursday night. The group demands that Israel withdraw its troops from Gaza within one week and refrain from any and all operations in the area while the ceasefire lasts.
Also on Thursday night, Hamas's Az a-Din el-Kuds Brigades, a branch of the Hamas armed forces, said they would take revenge for the death of Hamas minister Said Siyam. Siyam was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday evening along with his brother, another senior Hamas leader.
“His blood was not shed in vain. The response will be expressed in deeds, not words,” Hamas terrorists threatened.
Egyptian media sources reported earlier in the evening that Israel had in principle accepted an Egyptian ceasefire proposal. Israeli officials demanded certain changes to the plan, Egyptian diplomats said. Those demands will be presented to Hamas leaders in upcoming meetings.
Senior Defense Ministry official Major-General Amos Gilad returned from Cairo on Thursday after meeting with Egyptian diplomats to discuss progress in ceasefire talks with Hamas. Gilad met with Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to discuss the issue. The ministers are reportedly split on whether to seek a ceasefire at the current time.
Crossings Opened in exchange for Shalit?
According to Channel 10 news, Israel is willing to open Gaza crossings as part of the ceasefire deal. In exchange, Hamas would be required to reduce its demands regarding the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. The group is currently demanding the release of over 1,000 terrorists, including senior terrorists who bear direct responsibility for multiple murders.
According to Channel 10 news, Israel is willing to open Gaza crossings as part of the ceasefire deal. In exchange, Hamas would be required to reduce its demands regarding the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. The group is currently demanding the release of over 1,000 terrorists, including senior terrorists who bear direct responsibility for multiple murders.
If Hamas scales back its demands, a deal could be reached that would lead to Shalit's release, political analysts say. Barak met with Noam Shalit, Gilad's father, on Thursday, apparently to discuss developments in Gaza and the negotiations with Hamas.
© Copyright IsraelNationalNews.com
Subscribe to the free Daily Israel Report - sub.israelnn.com
Posts
