“Everyone knows
someone who has lost a soldier, or has a soldier wounded, or has a
soldier in Gaza,” said one Jerusalem resident. Another added, “This
hits home when you know a mother who has lost a son in Gaza.”
As of Thursday
afternoon, 65 Israeli soldiers have died in this conflict, with over
300 injured. Nearly 1,400 Gazans have been killed, including over 200
Hamas fighters. According to reports, 400,000 Gazans are homeless.
Channel 10's military correspondent Alon Ben David said that those
driven from their homes are migrating to the wealthier and untouched
neighborhoods, knocking on doors, asking for shelter, or food.
Rockets continue to
rain down on Israel from Hamas. Most are intercepted by the Iron
Dome, some drift through and crash either in open areas, or
occasionally land on a house or apartment building usually, but not
always, devoid of residents.
But the mortars
lobbed into Israel have been exacting a high price. One mortar attack
landed in the midst of a group of Israeli soldiers gathered along the
border, killing ten, injuring six. Another mortar attacked killed
five in a different location. “Mortars are more dangerous than the
tunnels,” said one military expert.
Israel is searching
for solutions to the mortars, and tunnels, similar to the high-tech
answers to Hamas rocket fire like the Iron Dome. Anti-mortar
solutions are also in development, ranging from radar-guided radar,
to gattling guns. So far none have been battle-tested enough to be
put in service. These systems are important, said a military analyst,
because of tomorrows threat from Syria, Lebanon, and Iran, not just
today's threat from Gaza. Israel has also equipped Merkava tanks with
high-tech anti-rocket rockets that have saved many lives. One IDF
officer said that Israel also has an answer to the tunnels that would
match the Iron Dome, but the system wouldn't be operational at least
for another year. Experts point out that many tunnels exist that
start in Lebanon and exit in Israel.
Or Heller, a Channel
10 military correspondent, reported today that the Israel army
continues to battle with Hamas fighters in various towns along the
60-kilometer length of Gaza, while staying within a two-kilometer
range from the border. Analysts say that over 20 of the 32 terrorist
tunnels uncovered have been destroyed. “Destroying the tunnels will
take time,” said Heller. Reportedly, some of the tunnels descend
35-meters, nearly 10 stories, below ground, and run over two
kilometers from Gaza into Israel. Most are at least 45-feet below
ground.
The Israel army is
busy searching Gaza neighborhoods for the tunnel openings. A number
were discovered in the basement of Gaza Mosques. Television scenes
show automatic weapons near the tunnel openings in a mosque basement
ready for use should Hamas fighters need them.
Many of the tunnel
openings are in residential buildings that have been booby-trapped.
Fifteen Israeli soldiers walked into such an apartment building
without noticing that one wall was packed with explosives. Nine
soldiers died when the booby-trap was detonated, five others were
taken to hospital in serious condition. Most of the tunnel openings
are defended with booby-traps. Usually, but obviously not always, the
bombs are discovered. An observer said this is just another example
of how Hamas is fighting this battle. One reporter said that
buildings housing tunnel openings in the basement are often laden
with gasoline. When a sniper fired on Israeli troops from one such
building, the entire three story structure blew up.
In another incident
shown on Hamas TV a squad of Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel
through an underground tunnel, emerging into the fields of a border
kibbutz just a few hundred meters from an IDF concrete fortified
watchtower manned by raw recruits. The Hamas squad crept unnoticed by
the soldiers in the watchtower. Neglecting orders the steel door to
the watchtower was wide open. The Hamas soldiers had no trouble
engaging the Israeli soldiers, killing four. A fifth fought back,
killing a Hamas fighter. The others fled, trying to take an Israeli
corpse with them, but gave up and ran. An Israeli Tabor automatic
rifle was later shown on Hamas TV as a trophy of the fight.
Wednesday night the
Israel air force was less active than the previous nights, only
attacking 50 targets rather than the up to 150 the nights before. But
the horrific pictures emerging from Gaza were fresh fodder for
anti-Israeli feelings. A Sky news correspondent walked through an
open-air market in Saujaiyeh reporting that witnesses said an Israeli
helicopter strafed the area with machine-gun fire, and then fired a
missile into a nearby building. The reporter said the Israelis
claimed mortars had been fired from the area and were only returning
fire. An IDF air force commander said that no bombs were dropped, or
missiles fired until it was clear that no civilians are in the area.
Hamas, according to
observers, is reveling in the scenes of destroyed buildings, wounded
in their hospitals, and masses carrying bodies in the streets of
Gaza. Hamas, say these observers, are using these scenes as weapons,
as much as the terror tunnels, mortars, and the fighters sneaking
into Israel.
One Italian reporter
told the TV that he watched as a Hamas rocket landed in a school,
then saw Hamas troops quickly rush in to clean up the debris that
would incriminate them. The reporter said he was threatened if he
reported the event, and only once on the Israeli side of the fence
did he tell what he saw.
Analysts point out
that Hamas also prohibits reporters in Gaza from showing scenes of
Hamas fighters in anything but heroic situations, like infiltrating
Israel through a tunnel. No scenes are ever broadcast of the nearly
200 Hamas fighters captured by the Israeli forces. Or Hamas fighters
injured or fleeing from Israeli troops approaching their positions.
Hamas fighters fleeing Israeli forces is reportedly a regular
occurrence.
Other reports are of
Hamas gunning down 20 Gazans that demonstrated in Gaza against Hamas.
“Terrorists rule by terror,” said a pundit. “And many of those
in Gaza are terrified of saying anything against Hamas. They have
even been threatened if they flee their homes where tunnels openings
have been drilled in the basement.” Another commentator said,
“These people don't talk to the TV cameras. If they did they'd be
killed.”
A similar situation
exists with the UNRAA schools. So far Israeli troops have found Hamas
rockets and weapons in three UNRAA schools. In each event the
rockets were returned to Hamas. “The guys who run these schools
want to stay alive,” said an observer. “Cooperation is their
insurance.” Another analyst pointed out that some of those running
the UNRRA schools are Hamas sympathizers.
On Wednesday, Israel
declared a 4-hour humanitarian ceasefire but Hamas refused to abide
by it claiming they hadn't been asked, and weren't interested in a
ceasefire imposed on them by Israel.
Some commentators
are critical of the Israeli military for underestimating how long it
would take to neutralize the tunnels, originally thinking only a day
or two. Other voices have been raised wondering why if the army knew
about the tunnel threat, obvious after the kidnapping of Israeli
soldiers Gilad Shalit six years ago, nothing was done earlier to
destroy them. Defenders of the army say that the cost of destroying
the tunnels was something no one wanted to pay until it was
necessary.
US Sec. Of State
John Kerry has reached out to Qatar and Turkey in an effort to build
a coalition in order to reach a ceasefire. The so-called Egyptian
initiative is the one citied as the operative plan. Egypt has agreed
to host the talks. Both Palestinian Authority representatives, as
well as Hamas representatives, are expected to travel to Cairo today.
Even Hamas officials from Gaza who have been assured of a safe
passage by Israel.
However, observers
point out that even if Israel attends, that doesn't mean the Israeli
delegation will do more than listen, as they have done in previous
meetings. No decisions will be made at these meetings. Labor Party leader
Herzog advised patience. “These talks take time. A lot is being
done behind the scenes.”
Still, observers
say, Hamas has not yet scored a decisive punch that would justify
all the damage to Gaza, and is thus not willing to agree to a
ceasefire yet. Especially since the Hamas leadership is safely deep
beneath the ground.
Israeli politicians,
from PM Netanyahu down, have been stressing that the USA is a firm
supporter of Israel and deeply involved in Israel's well-being. This
as a way to moderate the ill-feelings in Washington that arose from
Israeli press criticism of the way Sec. Kerry was handling the
ceasefire negotiations. Today it was announced that the US gave
Israel permission to use the stockpile of weapons the US had
strategically positioned in Israel. This because Israel's ammunition
was dwindling as the conflict dragged on. The US had already agreed
to a $250 million allocation to Israel to replace the rockets used in
the Iron Dome.
Israel's Prime
Minister Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu told a press conference on
Thursday that the operation in Gaza would continue until the tunnels
were destroyed. Israel is adamant that the soldiers would stay in
Gaza until the tunnels were destroyed. Experts believe this may take
another week to ten days. Netanyahu's statement was seconded by Moshe
Yaalon, Minister of Defense, who said Hamas had suffered greatly from
this operation, and was severely weakened.
But for some this is
not enough. Gen. (ret.) Uzi Dayan, once head of the Southern Command
in charge of Gaza, said that only by sacrificing Israeli soldiers'
lives and marching into Gaza city, going down into the bunkers, and
killing the Hamas leadership, would Israel insure quiet that would
last for more than just a year or two. Similar calls were echoed by
Beit Yehudi head Neftali Bennet, and Yoav Shamir of Israel Beitanu.
Prime Minister
Netanyahu's problem though is not only from the right-wing of the
Israeli political spectrum, but also in the nearly 70 percent
approval rating he has from the Israeli population to continue the
fight until Hamas' leaders are eliminated. Yitzchak “Bougie”
Herzog, leader of the Labor Party, and the opposition in the Knesset,
said he was firmly in favor of the operation and the government,
stating that this was a time for the country to stand together and
'defend our homes.'
Pundits believe that
the fighting will go on for at least another week. TV2's political
analyst Aviv Drucker said that the negotiations for a ceasefire were
a mess not only because the two sides disagree on terms, but the
various participants to the talks, even those from the same side,
don't agree even to be in the same room with each other. He was
referring to the Egyptians who refuse to speak to Hamas.
Still, the consensus
is that a ceasefire will be reached. Israel is hoping the
international community will step in and demand Hamas be disarmed.
This would obviate the necessity of a further march by Israeli forces
deeper into Gaza. Hamas, observers say, will not agree to this since
they'd then lose their reason for opposing Israel. Most pundits see
the PA's Abbu Mazan as the man to take over the leadership, although
they all agree that the PA is too weak to run Gaza, and control
Hamas, on its own.
David Brooks,
writing in the New York Times, said that what is going on in Gaza is
a proxy war between “Islamists and authoritarians.” He said this
type of war is something that could last for years, and be fought in
many other battlefields. Meanwhile it is Israel who is representing
the west in the battle against Islamic fundamentalists, and Israeli
families who are paying the steep price, along with the simple people
of Gaza held hostage by a group willing to sacrifice them as
“shahidim” holy warriors.
