Israel starts Gaza ground offensive

[frigidmagi]

BBC

The Israeli military has begun a ground offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, extending its 10-day-old Operation Protective Edge.

It said it was in response to continued militant rocket fire and to strike a "significant blow to Hamas", which controls Gaza.

Hamas said Israel would pay a high price for the ground offensive.

There had been a five-hour humanitarian truce on Thursday, but exchanges of fire resumed when it ended.

Some 230 Palestinians and one Israeli have died during the Operation Protective Edge period.

At least five Palestinians were killed after the ground offensive began, Palestinian authorities said.

They included a five-month-old in the town of Rafah, medical officials told AFP news agency.

Israel withdrew ground troops from the Gaza strip in September 2005, and last mounted a major ground operation in 2009.

Tunnels
In a statement, the Israeli military said: "Following 10 days of Hamas attacks by land, air and sea, and after repeated rejections of offers to de-escalate the situation, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has initiated a ground operation within the Gaza Strip."

It said the goal was to "establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continuous indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas' terror infrastructure".

Military spokesman Gen Moti Almoz said: "I ask the residents of Gaza to evacuate the areas in which the army is operating. This operation will be extended as much as necessary."

Israel approved the drafting of 18,000 more reservists on Thursday evening, bringing the total of extra troops called up since 8 July to 65,000.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said that the Israeli ground operation was "destined to failure".

"What the occupier Israel failed to achieve through its air and sea raids, it will not be able to achieve with a ground offensive", he said.

An intensive bombardment of Gaza by Israeli planes, artillery and ships has been taking place.

Media in Gaza have reported seeing Israeli commandos on the beach there.

The BBC's Yolande Knell in Gaza says journalists were warned to take shelter, shortly before the ground offensive announcement was made.

Other Gaza witnesses say 10 tanks have crossed the border into north-west Gaza.

More rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel after the operation began, Israeli authorities said.

Israeli media said one key aim of the ground offensive was to destroy tunnels that could be used to infiltrate militants into Israel.

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Are Israeli strike warnings effective? The BBC examines footage from both sides
An attempt by 13 militants to tunnel into Israel to attack a kibbutz on Wednesday had been thwarted by the Israeli military.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Jerusalem says it is possible that with the ground invasion Israel is seeking to improve its military position in advance of any deal, but that more probably it has concluded that a ceasefire at the moment in unlikely.

Israel says it has carried out more than 1,960 attacks on Gaza since 8 July, while militants have fired some 1,380 rockets at Israel.

The UN says at least 1,370 homes have been destroyed in Gaza and more than 18,000 people displaced in recent hostilities.

It says most of those killed in Gaza have been civilians.

Humanitarian truce
The ground offensive follows attempts in Cairo to negotiate a new ceasefire.

There had been some reports that a new truce would start at 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Friday.

However, both Israel and Hamas later dismissed the reports.

Thursday's temporary ceasefire had been requested by the UN and other international organisations to provide emergency relief and distribute water, food and hygiene kits to the people of Gaza.

The truce lasted from 10:00 and 15:00 local time, although both sides reported violations.

But almost immediately after it ended, Israel reported renewed militant rocket fire and there were fresh air strikes on targets in Gaza.

The health ministry in Gaza said one Israeli air strike had hit a home in the Sabra area of Gaza City on Thursday, killing three children - aged between seven and 10 - from the same family.

As I sit here groaning, please not more fighting in the Middle East... I can't help but reluctantly admit that from Israel's point of view, now is the perfect time. With Syria in the midst of civil war and Egypt in no mood to help anyone who was friendly with the Muslim Brotherhood and with Iran and the other Arab States distracted by ISIS's campaign in (former?) Iraq... There is almost no one around who can muster the political will or ability to stop Israel from storming Gaza and trying to kneecap HAMAS once and for all.

That said, I'm not convinced this is a good idea or a wise one. Kneecaping a terrorist organization is a difficult thing to make stick, their recovery times are fast and their material needs low. It's not impossible to destroy or cripple such organizations mind you, just very hard. And frankly won't be done through a cycle of military invasion and withdrawal backed by embargos and blockaides.

[General Havoc]

The alternative, as far as Israel is concerned, is to sit pat and endure an endless barrage of rockets fired at their cities by fanatics who openly wish to kill them and their children. I will repeat, yet again, that if a Mexican drug cartel engaged in this behavior against El Paso or San Diego, we would invade. Israel does not see another option for them at the moment, and neither do I.

[frigidmagi]

Yahoo

Israeli bulldozers on Saturday demolished more than a dozen tunnels the military said were being used by Hamas gunmen to sneak beneath the southern border of the Jewish state and carry out attacks on its soldiers and civilians.

Palestinians reported intensified airstrikes and shelling as the death toll from Israel's ground offensive rose to at least 342 Palestinians. Several Israelis have also died since fighting began more than 10 days ago.

Israeli soldiers uncovered 34 shafts leading into about a dozen underground tunnels, some as deep as 30 meters (yards), the military said.

Still, Palestinian gunmen disguised in Israeli uniforms managed to infiltrate Israel from Gaza using another tunnel and on Saturday killed two Israeli soldiers and injured several others, the military said. At least one Palestinian was killed in the clash.

Hamas said 12 of its fighters participated in the attack and that the group took some of the soldiers' weapons back to their hideouts.

In two other confrontations, Palestinian gunmen jumped out of tunnels and shot at soldiers who returned fire. Two of the gunmen were killed. Another militant died when the explosive vest he was wearing went off, the military said.

Raw: Aftermath of Israeli Airstrike on GazaPlay VideoRaw: Aftermath of Israeli Airstrike on Gaza
In one instance, the militants were found with tranquilizers and handcuffs, indicating they "intended to abduct Israelis," according to the military.

It was the second day that Palestinians had used their network of underground tunnels to penetrate Israel in the current round of fighting. Israel embarked on its ground offensive on Thursday, the same day 13 heavily armed Palestinians sneaked through a tunnel from Gaza and emerged inside Israel near a southern community. The militants were killed by an airstrike after they popped out of the tunnel.

Clashes persisted into late Saturday, with heavy fighting reported in several parts of Gaza.

Shimon Daniel, a retired brigadier general and former head of the Israeli military's engineer corps, said the military knew that Hamas had a large number of tunnels designed to assault Israel.

"I think finding 13 tunnels in such a short time is a great achievement," he told Channel 10 TV.

View galleryA Palestinian medic is overwhelmed by emotion as he …
A Palestinian medic is overwhelmed by emotion as he takes a break treating wounded people by Israeli …
He said demolishing the tunnels is dangerous. Troops must assume the passages are booby trapped. Soldiers first close off the area and check for additional openings. Then robots go inside to look around, he said.

After that, the tunnels are destroyed either by special explosives or by heavy equipment. It can take up to 12 hours to destroy each tunnel.

"These tunnels aren't for hiding. They are intended for large attacks in Israeli communities and army bases," chief military spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz said.

Footage released by the Israeli military showed tunnels being demolished by army excavators and other equipment on the ground and by airstrikes from above.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said the new round of airstrikes raised the death toll from the offensive to at least 342 Palestinians, many of them civilians.

View galleryMedics work on Palestinians wounded during Israeli …
Medics work on Palestinians wounded during Israeli strikes, at the emergency room of the Kamal Adwan …
In Israel, a Gaza rocket killed a man near the southern city of Dimona and wounded four people, police said, marking the second Israeli civilian casualty from the fighting. An Israeli soldier was killed after the start of the ground operation, probably from friendly fire.

Casualties could mount quickly if the military moves deeper into urban areas.

Some 50,000 Palestinians are already staying in United Nations shelters, according to UNRWA, the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians.

Early Saturday, Israeli tank fire killed at least five members of the Al Zawaydi family at their home in Beit Lahiya, including two children. In a separate incident, tank shell fire killed three members of the Hamooda family in their home, among them two children.

In Gaza City, two boys and a 12-month-old infant neighbor were killed Friday evening following the break of the Ramadan fast.

View galleryPalestinian children look at mourners carrying the …
Palestinian children look at mourners carrying the bodies of Roshdi, Mohammed and Reyad Naser, out o …
Israel says it is going to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and blames them on Hamas, accusing it of firing from within residential neighborhoods and using civilians as "human shields."

The military said it has hit more than 2,500 targets in Gaza, including 1,100 rocket launchers, during the 12 days of fighting. It said that some 70 militants were killed and another 13 brought to Israel for questioning.

Gaza militants have fired more than 1,760 rockets at Israeli cities since July 8, the military said.

The military said also it had received intelligence reports that Palestinians had strapped explosives to animals and intended to send them toward soldiers. A donkey laden with explosives approached soldiers later on and blew up causing no injuries, it said.

Israel's ground attack came after it became increasingly exasperated with rocket fire from Gaza, especially after Hamas rejected an Egyptian cease-fire plan earlier in the week.

View galleryPalestinian relatives of Mohammed Naser, chant slogans …
Palestinian relatives of Mohammed Naser, chant slogans as they carry his lifeless body to the family …
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri on Saturday repeated a call for the two sides to adopt the cease-fire, saying it is the only offer on the table, despite efforts from Hamas backers Turkey and Qatar to broker a deal.

"It meets the needs of both sides," he said. "We will continue to propose it. We hope both sides accept it."

In a fresh effort to broker a truce, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon was to leave Saturday for the Middle East to help mediate the Gaza conflict.

Israeli officials have said the offensive could last up to two weeks or possibly longer.

Also Saturday, Egypt opened its border crossing with Gaza, admitting wounded to Egyptian hospitals and allowing aid and doctors back in.

Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, has survived Israeli offensives in the past, including a major three-week ground operation in January 2009 and another weeklong air offensive in 2012. It now controls an arsenal of thousands of rockets, including long-range projectiles, and has built a system of underground bunkers.

But Hamas is weaker than it was during the previous two offensives, with little international or even regional support from its main allies, Turkey and Qatar.

I didn't know about the tunnels but it makes sense tha collasping them would be an Israeli propority. I've additionally learned that HAMAS is running out of money so they might have turn up the intensity of operations to attract more funds and volunteers (although from what I hear ISIS is pulling all of that away from the "traditional" terror groups).

Meanwhile we've learned that the UN relief agency has handed back rockets to HAMAS

[frigidmagi]

UNRWA finds HAMAS rockets in their schools... Again.

Today, in the course of the regular inspection of its premises, UNRWA discovered rockets hidden in a vacant school in the Gaza Strip. As soon as the rockets were discovered, UNRWA staff were withdrawn from the premises, and so we are unable to confirm the precise number of rockets. The school is situated between two other UNRWA schools that currently each accommodate 1,500 internally displaced persons.

UNRWA strongly and unequivocally condemns the group or groups responsible for this flagrant violation of the inviolability of its premises under international law.

The Agency immediately informed the relevant parties and is pursuing all possible measures for the removal of the objects in order to preserve the safety and security of the school. UNRWA will launch a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident.

UNRWA has reinforced and continues to implement its robust procedures to maintain the neutrality of all its premises, including a strict no-weapons policy and regular inspections of its installations, to ensure they are only used for humanitarian purposes.

Palestinian civilians in Gaza rely on UNRWA to provide humanitarian assistance and shelter. At all times, and especially during escalations of violence, the sanctity and integrity of UN installations must be respected.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.

Financial support to UNRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund (GF), supporting UNRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 69 million.

[rhoenix]

This whole situation disgusts me. All I can hope is that it will get resolved soon, to the point where no more Israeli or Palestinian lives will be lost, and I'll leave my commentary at that.

[Charon]

You'd think there would be someone... I dunno... checking for this shit. It reaks of complicity, which is disturbing on many levels and someone needs to get their ass fired either due to criminal negligence or for assisting a terrorist organization.

As for the situation as a whole, well it's all bad news and Hamas needs to be taken out of power (though I doubt this is gonna do it). I just get annoyed when Israel's response to Hamas using schools and hospitals as cover (like the assholes they are) seems to be "Meh, shell it anyway."

[frigidmagi]

As for the situation as a whole, well it's all bad news and Hamas needs to be taken out of power (though I doubt this is gonna do it). I just get annoyed when Israel's response to Hamas using schools and hospitals as cover (like the assholes they are) seems to be "Meh, shell it anyway."

First off, there's nothing special in that reaction. Second off, what are they suppose to do?

[Charon]

I don't know. Maybe Israel is just more honest about their intentions when they hit a school than when other countries do it. I'm not in a position to know those sorts of things. I'm not an expert on military or international politics, so I guess before the troops came into Gaza Strip, you hit it with a missile and stop the attacks. After the troops come in? My initial thought as a possibility is send in troops with support to clear the area out. There's a much higher risk of your own casualties, but a far lower risk of civilian casualties. It's a tricky subject. Do you risk your men's lives for others, knowing that they'll probably hate you anyway? Or do you just hit the building, knowing full well that you could very well be guaranteeing a dozen new Hamas devotees, on top of the body count of innocent civilians?

Let me ask you, since you are military, do you know what the standard operating procedure is for the military if they are being attacked from a location like a hospital or a school?

[Cynical Cat]

Let me ask you, since you are military, do you know what the standard operating procedure is for the military if they are being attacked from a location like a hospital or a school?

They'll shoot back. The problem is that Gaza isn't a conventional military problem. It's a military intervention against an enclave of a conquered people that is dominated by a terrorist resistance organization and under strict economic embargo. The intervening power is the conqueror in question, has practiced land seizure and ethnic cleansing (by which I mean driving people off land and not genocide) and claims to possess the moral high ground. I'm not going to touch the issue of who does, if anyone does, actually possess the moral high ground or what Israel could have/should have done in the past.

I am, however, going to say that morally and politically this is not like blowing up churches in occupied Belgium because there's a German sniper in the bell tower.

[frigidmagi]

Let me ask you, since you are military, do you know what the standard operating procedure is for the military if they are being attacked from a location like a hospital or a school?

We tend to treat it just like any other building we're being shot at. Which means our response to it is going to be dictated by what's tactically possible and a host of other situations. If there are hostages, that influences the approaches we take. To put it bluntly, our lives are as important as anyone else's and it's not in our contracts to die so that you feel better about the whole thing. We called artillery onto snipers in Iraqi towns during the invasion, I actually have an entertaining story about a super lucky spotting round. We told the people in charge of those towns, that if firefights happened in the town, then we wouldn't hold back. So it was in their best interest not to let that happen. Policy shifted after the invasion because we were the legal authorities in Iraq at the time after the fall of the Saddam government. Which meant that we were required to act in a more police like manner. Even then, there was widespread damage and use of artillery in places like Fallujah when the city rose in rebellion in 2004.

Now one of the problems here is that Gaza is in a weird place legally. Israel does not Govern Gaza. It does not claim Gaza as a territory of the State of Israel and the people within it are not citizens of that state. However they're not citizens of any other state either. Gaza floats in a weird stateless zone with HAMAS as the de facto governing body, but with zero recognition and no legal way to assert sovereignty. So they're not a state who Israel can declare war on, they're not a internal province Israel can police... They're a hostile enclave that Israel blockades because when they get free trade they use it to get materials and weapons which they use to try to kill Israelis. Frankly as long as HAMAS is the closest thing to a governing body, it's not in Israel's best interest to allow Gaza any sovereignty. I'll point out that HAMAS was digging over a dozen tunnels, using 800,000 tons of concrete, for the goal of sending armed men into Israel to kill Israeli civilians.

You can read about it here

To grant HAMAS any additional power or control would be an act of madness for the Israel government bluntly. Sadly this fucks over the average Gaza citizen hardcore. Israel is not interested in being their government, nor are they interested in being governed by Israel. HAMAS is intent on using them as military assets one way or another and no one else gives enough of a good damn to do anything meaningful about the situation.

Look, I'm not telling you that Israel troops never commit war crimes. They've been caught doing so more then once. But I telling that returning fire on an armed enemy isn't enough to get you sent to the Hague. Even if Israel signed the agreement, which they won't. For the same reasons we won't.