Monday, March 03, 2008

Adventures in Gaza

This Jerusalem Post article says all you really need to know to get a feel for what is happening within Israel and the Gaza Strip:
Hours after IDF soldiers returned to Israel from northern Gaza after completing the first stage of Operation Hot Winter, a Grad missile slammed into an apartment building in central Ashkelon on Monday morning. 16 people were treated for shock as three missiles hit the city.

Moments earlier, six Kassam rockets hit the western Negev. One of the rockets landed in Sderot while another landed in a kibbutz. The other four landed in open areas. No one was wounded and no damage was reported.

On Sunday night, Givati Brigade infantry and Armored Corps battalions completed the first stage of the northern Gaza operation which began over the weekend soldiers who had been operating in the territory returned to Israel. However, IDF sources told Israel Radio that counter-terror operations would continue.

IDF officials said that an estimated 100 Palestinians were killed during the operation and some 90 were arrested. On Sunday, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said that, contrary to media reports, 90 of the Palestinian fatalities were gunmen.

So the IDF goes into Gaza Strip to deal with terrorist elements, meets the challenge 100-2, and then pulls out before the job is even half-way finished.

Meanwhile Hamas uses the IDF pull-out to simultaneously do three things: 1) Announce victory, 2) call for a ceasefire, and finally 3) continue to launch rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.

Of course, some could be cynical and suggest while Ehud Olmert is Israeli Prime Minister White House policy sets Israeli security…

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