It's the "Rocky Balboa" theory of victory: If I am still standing at the end of the fight against a superior opponent, that is a victory. That was the claim of Hezbollah in the Second Lebanon War and now of Hamas in Gaza.
While it is true that in both wars Israel did much more damage to the other side, it is also true that no knock-out blow was delivered. The reason is the same in both cases: the government of Israel (more or less the same government in both wars) had no intention of doing what needed to be done to knock out either Hezbollah or Hamas. In both cases, Israel won the round on points, but everyone knows there will be another round. And another. And another. Until Hezbollah and Hamas are beaten so badly that can't afford to try again. Just like has happened with Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
Hamas's claim that it has emerged victorious from Operation Cast Lead is reminiscent of the fiery statements of Ahmed Said, the famous Egyptian radio announcer who, during the Six Day War, continued to report the fictional downing of dozens of Israeli warplanes after Israel destroyed the Arab air forces.
Listening to the commanders of Hamas's armed wing, Izzadin Kassam, who held a press conference in Gaza City on Monday, one is left with the impression that it was the Israelis, and not the Palestinians, who suffered thousands of casualties and lost nearly half of their weapons during the war.
Hamas's claim that the movement lost only 48 of its gunmen and that the IAF had used half of its ammunition in air strikes on the Gaza Strip is not being taken seriously by many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Nor are many Palestinians taking seriously Hamas's claims that its men destroyed 47 tanks and armored vehicles, killed 80 IDF soldiers and wounded hundreds of others.
BUT:
A veteran Palestinian journalist in the Gaza Strip said that he does not believe that anyone would ever be able to find out exactly how many gunmen Hamas lost during the fighting...
The journalist quoted a top Hamas operative as saying that Hamas lost less than 10 percent of its weapons and ammunition in the past three weeks. "Despite the severe blows, Hamas remains as defiant as ever and it's believed that they still have a lot of weapons," the journalist said...
One medic said he believes at least 250 Hamas militiamen died in the fighting, while a journalist put the figure at over 400...
Hamas alone has about 25,000 gunmen and policemen in the Gaza Strip who are well-trained, highly-motivated and strictly-disciplined. About half of the gunmen belong to Izzadin Kassam, while the rest serve in different security branches, including the much-feared Internal Security Service...
Hamas believes that it won the war not only because its men "defeated" the IDF... but also because the movement is still in power despite the massive military operation and the heavy damages and losses it incurred.
But because these two goals were not achieved - and are unlikely to be achieved in the foreseeable future - Hamas will continue to celebrate its purported victory until the next round of fighting.
Got that? If Hamas lost 250, or 400 or 1000 of its 25,000 gunmen and police, that is still a small fraction of its manpower. And it will take years to find and destroy all their weapons. So Hamas, like Rocky Balboa, will certainly be able to fight another round, presuming that this one is actually over.
It is ironic because the Rocky Balboa approach has long been the consolation that Jews take regarding our many enemies in the past: Yes, they rose up and did much harm to the Jews, but the Jewish people ultimately survived long enough to see the fall of those same enemies.
Now it is the hope of radical Islamics that they will keep fighting and surviving long enough until they ultimately win over Israel.
Perhaps they should study history a bit better. They might then realize it will probably be the other way around.
While Operation Cast Lead may be over, the Israel-Hamas war continues, although this time with new understandings.
When the IDF embarked on the operation, the goals set for it by the government included weakening Hamas, restoring Israel's level of deterrence and changing the security reality in the South.
Hamas is without a doubt weakened, both militarily and governmentally. Its government and municipal offices have been completely destroyed and most of its long-range rocket capability has been knocked out. More than 200 homes belonging to its military commanders were destroyed. The homes were not just residences but also served as command-and-control centers, weapons storehouses and training centers.
Over 2,000 targets were bombed throughout the operation, and of the 1,300 Palestinians casualties, the IDF believes three-quarters were gunmen. Close to 300 weapons-smuggling tunnels were also destroyed along the Philadelphi Corridor.
Throughout the operation, the IDF stuck to its opening "Shock and Awe" tactic, based on a US military doctrine also called "rapid dominance," which calls for the use of overwhelming military power, dominant maneuvers and spectacular displays of force to paralyze an adversary.
Hamas, the IDF believes, was surprised by Israel on four different occasions throughout the operation.
Reuters reports on Ynet that Gazans have begun criticizing Hamas. The Man-bites-dog aspect of the story though is not that there are a few Gazans who were smart enough to figure out who is really to blame in Gaza, but that Reuters actually reported it:
Lama, a secretary who would not give her full name, said: "Rockets must end. What did we gain from them?" she asked, noting that the truce could have been renewed in December. "Now after thousands of casualties, how does Hamas explain that?"
A teacher, who would agree to be named only as Bassem and who is a Fatah supporter, said Hamas showed no regard for Gaza's people by firing rockets but he doubted the backlash against them would last, describing the "emotional" appeal of a movement led in Gaza by the territory's prime minister Ismail Haniyeh.
On Saturday night Israel's security cabinet approved declaration of a unilateral cease-fire in Gaza. The declaration was quickly followed by a series of Hamas rocket attacks.
Hamas rocket attacks continued throughout Sunday into early evening with at least 14 rockets and at least 3 mortars striking Sderot, Ashkelon, near Netivot, Kiryat Gat as well as Eshkol, Sha’ar HaNegev and Sdot Negev regions.
Israeli officials on Monday said troops will leave the Gaza Strip before Tuesday's inauguration of Barack Obama as the new US president.
This is the first official indication that Israel plans a rapid withdrawal of its forces after announcing a unilateral cease-fire late Saturday.
The decision could be linked to Israel's desire to get off to a smooth start with the new US administration.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan was not publicly announced...
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday night that the remaining troops would leave Gaza "quickly" if the truce held, and IDF sources said it was likely that the withdrawal would be completed by the end of the week...
The IDF plans to give Hamas a day or two to completely stop the attacks and if they continue, the military has received permission from the government to renew ground operations. Under the cease-fire, the IDF will not assassinate senior Hamas leaders who come out of hiding but will renew targeted killings if the rocket attacks continue.
The IDF began a partial withdrawal of troops from Gaza immediately after a government-ordered ceasefire even though southern Israel continued to suffer rocket attacks. The troop movement was ordered despite a Saturday night Cabinet decision that troops would remain in the area until Hamas stops firing rockets on Israel...
Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made it clear to European leaders ... at a dinner in Jerusalem Sunday night that he will order the IDF to remove all soldiers from the Gaza region as soon as conditions allow.
"We halted fire after reaching most of our aims," he told six visiting European leaders. "If the ceasefire will continue, we have no intention of remaining in Gaza. The IDF will pull out when we are sure there is not danger to the citizens of Israel. We do not want to remain in Gaza, and we intend to withdraw as soon as possible."
The question remains: What exactly are the aims that have been reached if Hamas can still launch rockets to terrorize an ever-expanding portion of southern Israel?
In a live interview on Israel Television Channel Two News, IDF Spokesman Brigadier-General Avi Benayahu, explained that in light of the ceasefire, IDF forces operating inside the Gaza Strip face stricter rules of engagement.
He gave as an example of the stricter rules that the IDF did not strike a
rocket launcher positioned between two schools that fired rockets towards
Israel.
On the other hand, Benayahu noted that IDF forces in the Gaza Strip have
instructions to return fire to protect themselves.
The news anchor declined to ask Benayahu why the IDF saw it fit to allow
rocket attacks against Israeli civilians when human shields might be hurt
but did not apply the same restriction when it came to the defense of IDF
forces.
A better question is: what kind of "morality" allows the Israeli army not to attack someone in the act of attacking Israeli citizens? Stricter rules of engagement indeed.
At 2 AM on Sunday morning, Israel declared unilateral ceasefire in Gaza after it's security cabinet, comprised of the 12-members voted Saturday night, by a margin of 7-2 to approved the cease-fire.
The Jerusalem Post's Herb Keinon reports:
According to what was decided Saturday night, Israel will stop its offensive, but will keep the IDF forces in place, see how Hamas responds and whether an effective mechanism will be set up on the border to stop smuggling.
If so, then discussions will begin on withdrawing the troops. If not, the operation will continue.
"The conditions have been created so that our targets, as defined when we launched the operation, have been fully achieved, and more so," Olmert said, in a special address to the nation on Saturday night.
Those goals were defined as stopping the rocket fire on Israel and an end to the arms smuggling into Gaza.
"Hamas was hit hard, both its military capabilities and its governing infrastructure," Olmert said.
Immediately following Olmert's announcement, Hamas fired eight missiles at Israel.
Barak said there were likely to be continued rocket attacks on Israel and IDF forces in the immediate aftermath of the cease-fire, and that the army was prepared to deal with that eventuality.
Hamas, meanwhile, said it was not obligated by the unilateral declaration.
Hamas fired rockets that landed near Ashdod and in the Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev areas just before the end of the security cabinet meeting.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to fire rockets at the western Negev on Saturday evening, despite a cabinet decision that the IDF would halt their fire from 2 a.m. Sunday. At least seven rockets were fired after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced the unilateral cease-fire, with one Grad-type rocket causing power outages in Ashdod.
Rockets also hit Ashkelon and Beersheba. No casualties were reported in the attack, however many suffered shock.
During the evening, officials from the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council reported hearing three explosions near a kibbutz; no injuries or damage was reported.
The Jerusalem Post's Khaled Abu Toameh reported on Sunday afternoon that Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal announced a cease-fire on Syrian television in which they claim to "they would halt all military activity and give IDF troops one week to pull out of the Gaza Strip."
International Law is often used to accuse Israel of wrongdoing in Gaza and elsewhere. As are various canards such as the alleged unfairness of using disproportionate force when Israel acts in self-defence.
The Jerusalem Post has printed an excellent question and answer session on the Rules of War with Dr. Robbie Sabel, a lecturer in international law at the Hebrew University and former legal adviser to the Foreign Ministry. His responses to these accusations are based on both International Law and simple common sense:
Israel has been accused of violating the laws of war during the Gaza fighting. What are these laws, and is the accusation true?
Israel, during the fighting in Gaza, has taken greater steps than any other army in recent history to try and prevent enemy civilian casualties. The laws of war were formulated when armies in uniforms were battling other armies in uniform, usually in open fields. We are now facing an enemy often dressed as civilians, hiding among civilian buildings and aiming its fire deliberately and cold-bloodedly at Israeli civilian targets.
The classic laws of war can provide only general principles as to how to combat such an enemy. These principles include the rule that an army should only target combatants and military objectives; if there are civilians close to military targets, efforts must be made to minimize civilian casualties; and the civilian casualties may not be disproportionate to the military advantage to be gained. Israel has strictly applied these rules, and the Israeli army is one of the few armies in the world to have legal advisers in battle command centers, posted there to ensure compliance with these rules. Israel has repeatedly warned civilians of impending attacks, allowing them time to flee, even though we have thus lost the element of surprise and no doubt also given the enemy combatants the opportunity to flee.
Israel has been accused of using disproportionate force.
Since the fighting began, we have been attacked with some 700 rockets with explosive warheads aimed at civilian towns and villages. I don't know what should be proportionate to that. Furthermore the rules of war do not impose a cricket-game type of equilibrium on the parties to a conflict. In an armed conflict, a party is entitled to use its force to destroy the enemy's armed forces and military capabilities. For example, if the enemy shoots at your troops with a machine gun, you are entitled to reply with tank fire.
The UN Security Council authorized the US and allies to defeat Saddam Hussein's army, not just to force it to leave Kuwait. An aggressor state or organization must take into account that it is liable to meet a potential victim state which will use "disproportionate force" to defend itself.
Has Israel prevented supplies from reaching the civilian population in Gaza?
Classic laws of war in fact permitted total embargoes, as was done during the Second World War. Modern laws prohibit using starvation of civilians as a means of warfare. Israel has taken the unprecedented step of allowing large-scale food and medical supplies from its territory into Gaza while actual fighting continued. Furthermore, Israel applied a unilateral cease-fire of some three hours every day to ensure distribution of such food and medicine.
Has Israel used phosphorous shells which are illegal under international law?
Like every single army in the world, Israel uses phosphorous shells in flares and smoke shells. They are standard equipment in all NATO armies and in the armies of the Arab states. They are of course dangerous to handle when burning (so, too, are flares in civilian use), but absolutely legal.
What are the rules surrounding attacks on mosques, schools and medical teams?
A mosque (or church or synagogue) that is used for military purposes, such as storing weapons and ammunition, loses its immunity from attack and becomes a legitimate target. Any other rule would lead to granting an illogical advantage to an enemy hiding his weapons in such a building.
Israel has information that a certain hospital has been used for hiding the headquarters staff of Hamas. Nevertheless Israel has refrained from attacking the hospital because of the civilian casualties that would be caused by such an attack. Israel has never attacked a school knowing children were there. Children have, however, been injured, and I believe it is Hamas that should have to answer for the placing of military targets adjacent to the presence of children.
Has Israel prevented evacuation of wounded to outside the Gaza Strip?
Although Israel in the past has allowed wounded persons from Gaza into Israel, it is of course under no obligation to do so. The Gaza Strip has a border with Egypt, which I believe has allowed wounded persons to enter for treatment.
Despite all the legal points you have made, Israel's response is seen by the world as disproportionate.
I am reminded of the French political cartoon which showed an animal in a cage at a zoo, and the caption under the cartoon was "Be careful: This animal is dangerous. When attacked, it defends itself."
Israel's Gaza operations entered their 22th day as 15 rockets and 7 mortar shells were fired at Southern Israel on Saturday, 10 rockets hit in the morning and another 5 hit in the afternoon and early evening. Among the locations hit Saturday were Beersheba, Ashkelon, Kiryat Gat as well as Ashdod and open areas near Ofakim, Netivot, and the Eshkol Regional Council. Two of the rockets were launched during the IDF's daily "humanitarian pause".
On Saturday morning, a synagogue in the community of Tifrah near Ofakim sustained a direct hit. Fortunately, the synagogue was temporarily empty at the time of the strike. The structure suffered heavy damage but there were no injuries. However two people were treated for shock.
Meanwhile, during Saturday's fighting, four paratroopers, two officers and two soldiers, were seriously wounded from mortar shell fire in what is thought to have been another case of 'friendly fire'. In other fighting, five IDF soldiers were wounded, 1 seriously, by Hamas anti-tank missiles.
IDF forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip today identified two armed gunmen hiding in a residential building and targeted them with tank fire. In a subsequent sweep of the building troops uncovered a stockpile of ammunition, including an explosive belt, grenades and other weapons...
Since the morning the IAF targeted over 120 Hamas targets in Gaza,
including:
-More than 100 tunnels in southern Gaza
-10 rocket launching points, including several launchers already primed and loaded
-5 cells of gunmen
-3 Hamas outposts
-Additional strikes assisting ground forces
A total of 20 rockets and mortar shells were fired into Israel today, no
injuries were reported. Thirteen soldiers were wounded in the past 24 hours, 3 seriously, 3 moderately and 7 lightly.
On the political, diplomatic front, Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu of Israel National News reports that Israel's Security Cabinet is meeting to discuss declaration a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza in wake of Hamas' refusal of truce initiatives. Ben Gedalyahu reports:
The government is expected to approve the plan, which calls for the IDF to remain in Gaza but to halt attacks on the Hamas terror infrastructure.
Meanwhile, negotiations continue in Egypt concerning security along the border between Egypt and Gaza and conditions for the re-opening of the border in the divided city of Rafiah.
In Washington, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed with visiting Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni guarantees for stopping smuggling along the border.
However, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters, who questioned what is different from previous commitments that have not stopped smuggling, "Well... we are not responsible for, you know, smuggling happening or not. We are able to participate in robust ways to assist others as well in making sure that smuggling, resupply of Hamas, does not take place.
IDF forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip today uncovered a house rigged with explosives. The building was detonated in a controlled manner with the assistance of combat engineering forces.
A Paratroopers force identified a squad of gunmen armed with anti-tank
weapons and guided the Air Force in striking it. In another incident, ground forces fired at a cell armed with mortar shells.
Since the afternoon the IAF targeted over 25 Hamas targets in Gaza,
including:
-Two launchers used to fire rockets at Ashdod and Kiryat Gat
-Three bunkers containing weapons and rockets
-Seven groups of gunmen
-A tent with Hamas operatives and weapons inside
-Additional strikes assisting ground forces
-Over 20 rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza Strip hit Israel. Among the cities hit were Ashdod and Kiryat Gat. Five civilians were reported wounded.
Summary of IDF Operations as of 16:30, Friday
115,000 liters of fuel and 109 humanitarian aid trucks passed into the Gaza Strip today.
IDF ground forces operating in the Gaza strip reported hitting at least 20 armed gunmen throughout the day.
In one incident today, a joint combat engineering and tank force uncovered a tunnel containing weaponry and explosive devices. The tunnel was detonated in a controlled manner. A second reported incident included an infantry force from the Golani Brigade identifying a number of armed gunmen planting an explosive device. The force fired at the gunmen. In a third incident, a reserve infantry force identified a squad of gunmen approaching and fired at
them.
The IAF attacked approx. 25 Hamas terrorist sites today, including:
-Two smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip used for smuggling
weaponry.
-13 rocket launching sites
-Six squads of armed gunmen
-Five targets directed by ground forces
-A building with Hamas terror operatives inside
Over 15 rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza Strip hit the Israel.
Amongst the cities hit were Ashdod and Kiryat Gat, where five civilians were reported wounded, one of them seriously.
As Gaza operations entered their 21st day, four rockets hit areas of Eshkol region, two more struck Ofakim near mid-day and IDF paratroopers and armored corps personnel killed 3 Gaza terrorists after they attacked the soldiers shortly before dawn.
On Thursday afternoon, 2 Grad rockets hit Beersheva injuring 6, including a 7 year old boy wounded seriously by shrapnel penetrating his skull from a rocket and his mother. 17 people were treated for shock resulting from the rocket attacks. This brought the rocket count for Thursday to 25.
As of Thursday night, the IDF... officials privately said IDF troops from the Givati Brigade had come under anti-tank fire from gunmen standing next to the compound.
The officials said the IDF had responded by firing artillery shells at the gunmen and that it appeared that one of the shells had accidentally hit a UN warehouse, setting it afire.
Siam was the Hamas political echelon's liaison with the group's military wing, and was responsible for the various security apparatuses in the Strip, including the police and the naval force.
Siam was considered a radical and was in contact with Hamas's political leadership in Damascus. He was also considered close to Iranian officials.
Siam was one of the masterminds of Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.
Salah Abu Shrakh, the head of the Hamas general security service, was also killed in the air strike.
Siam was the most senior Hamas man to be killed in almost three weeks of fighting. Hamas confirmed that Siam was killed with his brother and son. According to Palestinian reports, Mahmoud Watfa, one of the commanders of the Hamas military wing, was also killed in the strike.
In one incident, a ground force identified a mortar launching squad launching a rocket at Israel and directed aerial forces that attacked the squad, reporting a direct hit.
The IAF attacked approximately 40 targets in Gaza overnight, including:
- A mosque used as a weapons storage facility that housed a tunnel
- A house of a Hamas terror operative
- Six squads of armed gunmen
- Four tunnels
- Eight launching sites, including one in which an armed launcher was
destroyed
- Three weapons storage facilities, including a structure in a Hamas training camp
- A number of explosive devices
- Two Hamas outposts
- Additional targets as assistance to ground forces
The Israeli Navy continued to support ground forces operating in Gaza,
striking Hamas targets while it continues to enforce the naval blockade in the area.
Seventy five trucks loaded with humanitarian aid are expected to be
transferred via the Kerem Shalom crossing. An additional sixty trucks are expected to be transferred via the Karni crossing, as well as fuel via the Nahal Oz fuel terminal.
In addition to the above, 7 Palestinians were arrested during overnight operations in Gaza.
Prominent writers such as David Grossman, A.B. Yehoshua, and Meir Shalev.... have been preaching to us about the need for peace, the Arabs' desire for peace, the viability of peace treaties with the Palestinians, the injustices of occupation, and the inability to secure a military victory.
Yet even a cursory examination of these statements vis-à-vis the bleeding reality that is our life shows that these great writers imagine reality instead of seeing it as it is. In the 15 years that have passed since the Oslo Accords, Israel's citizens have become the guinea pigs of these peace prophets, and in this lab, the dead guinea pigs – that is, the killed and wounded citizens – proved the lie found at the base of this delusional peace statement.
These writers' ability to ignore reality as they see fit was recently manifested in Yoram Kaniuk's article, where he claimed that no state can defeat radical Islam. He of course turned a blind eye to America's victory in Iraq following years of difficult war, as well as Israel's complete victory over terrorists in Judea and Samaria in the wake of Operation Defensive Shield.
We tend to view authors and poets as people of morality and conscience whose statements carry greater moral significance and weight than the declarations of a layman. Yet it appears this tendency is not backed by much. These authors were indeed gifted with the kind of writing ability that penetrates deep into a person's soul, yet this ability does not serve as a basis for unusual moral qualities. In this respect, the views of a great writer on issues of conscience and values, and certainly on matters of security and diplomacy, are no more important than the views of anyone else, be they an engineer, plumber, or shoemaker.
...The war against the Hamas movement and its many supporters in the Gaza Strip is a highly moral and just act undertaken by the State of Israel. Hamas is the spearhead of zealot and murderous global Islam, and therefore the State of Israel is today on the side of the sons of light, who are saving the world from the sons of darkness. The writers and poets who call for an end to the Gaza war are regrettably supporting Hamas, which at this time begs for a ceasefire in order to avoid defeat.
Only two days after the launch of the Gaza operation... Oz and Yehoshua, rushed to call for a ceasefire via the Italian press. This absurd state of affairs whereby well-known Israelis preach to their own government, in the foreign media, on the proper conduct during war is unique to the Israeli peace club. It was no coincidence that the writers published their call for a truce outside the borders of their own country.
Sadly, their clean and anti-war image vis-à-vis their European friends is more important to them than the natural and simple solidarity of their countrymen, who are fighting the most justified war possible.
Palestinian sources told... on Thursday evening that Israel and Hamas have agreed on all the general outlines of the Egyptian ceasefire initiative to end the fighting in Gaza.
According to the report, the sides have agreed on the truce, on the supervision of the smuggling issue, on the crossings and on lifting of the blockade imposed on the Strip.
According to the sources, the two sides are expected to agree on a ceasefire which will likely begin within 72 hours and last up to two weeks.
During this period of time, the parties will discuss the Israel Defense Forces' withdrawal from Gaza and the withdrawal's timing. Palestinian sources estimated that the pullback into Israel would be swift.
According to the sources, on the issue of the supervision mechanism it has been agreed that the international forces' presence would be on the Palestinian side of the Philadelphi route.
In other words, we will return to the status quo from after the Disengagement: Israel out, international forces in, with the latter doing nothing to stop the flow of arms smauuggling.
Throughout the day and evening on Thursday, Israeli government TV and Israel government radio newsreels glorified Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit for achieving a “cease-fire” on Wednesday that Hamas has accepted. The agreement calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
However, the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv told The Bulletin that Egypt has only elicited a Hamas offer of yet another tahdia, the Arabic term for a temporary halt in hostile activity which can be violated at any time — not a sulch, the Arabic term for a total cessation of hostile activity.
Examples of a tahdia include the six-month lull in fighting that occurred between June 19 and Dec. 19, 2008, during which time Hamas facilitated 415 attacks against Israel, with little Israeli response. A previous lull that occurred between Nov. 26 2006 and May 15, 2007, and Hamas facilitated 355 attacks against Israel, with little Israeli response.
We've been there before, which is exactly how we got to here in the first place.
On Thursday, Operation Cast Lead entered its 20th day as 23 rockets struck southern Israel through mid-afternoon hitting Sderot, Beersheva, Ofakim, Gedera and Eshkol Region.
Through late Wednesday afternoon and evening a revised count of rockets hitting the south stood at 16, including a Grad hitting an unpopulated area of Ashdod. There were no injuries from the blast, but 5 people were treated for trauma.
In all, 22 soldiers were wounded on Wednesday, six of them in the northern Strip when a house collapsed on them and several others were wounded when an anti-tank missile hit a paratroopers force near Gaza City.
Also on Wednesday evening, away from Gaza, three more live and ready-to-launch Grad rockets were found in South Lebanon where, earlier Wednesday, 3 Katyushas were launched which struck open areas near Kiryat Shemona.
In one incident in Gaza City on Wednesday, paratroopers near the Shati refugee camp encountered two suicide bombers on their way to blow themselves up next to the troops. One of the bombers was killed as he ran toward the troops and the other was found during searches of a home. Bullets fired at him detonated the belt, but no soldiers were injured.
In a different area of Gaza City, an Engineering Corps force discovered 20 Katyusha rockets inside a home. The rockets were destroyed in a controlled explosion.
Close followers of the mainstream media's coverage of Israel have long claimed that coverage was biased against Israel.
Now the Jerusalem Post's Evelyn Gordon notes that there have been recent admissions of mainstream media bias against Israel in the form of reporting that purposefully emphasizes Arab victims while neglecting to report the context (Arab terror) that brought about Israel's response in the first place. She also presents one obvious solution.
One surprising aspect of the current fighting has been the foreign press corps' unusual honesty - its open admission that it has no intention of doing what ordinary people naively consider its job.
For years, print journalists have argued that print's big advantage over television is that television can only show pictures out of context, whereas newspapers provide the context that enables readers to make sense of these pictures. It is a good argument and, indeed, the only possible one: If all consumers want are gory pictures, print cannot possibly compete. However, it creates certain expectations: Anyone who reads a prestige publication like The New York Times or The Economist expects to finish an article with a better understanding of the subject.
Israelis have long suspected that when it comes to this country, these expectations are misplaced. But until last week, I never saw foreign journalists openly admit it.
VETERAN NEW YORK TIMES correspondent Ethan Bronner broke the silence last Wednesday, in a report on the government's refusal to let foreign journalists into Gaza. Buried in the 20th paragraph of a 22-paragraph story, he acknowledged: "Israel's diplomats know that if journalists are given a choice between covering death and covering context, death wins."
The word "know" is the giveaway. When journalists want to imply that a statement may be false, they use verbs like "claim," "charge," "believe" or "assert," since claims, charges, beliefs and assertions are by definition unproven. But something "known" is a proven fact. And indeed, though Bronner denies an Israeli assertion earlier in the article that foreign journalists in Gaza are "subject to Hamas censorship or control," he does not deny that they prefer death to context. Like the diplomats, he knows this to be true.
Three Katyusha rockets struck open areas near Kiryat Shmona and apparently mal-fuctioning air-raid sirens went off in Jerusalem, Ma'alei Adumim and Beit Shemesh as Operation Cast Lead entered its 19th day.
While security forces continued to search for the impact sites of the rockets, there were no immediate reports of anyone wounded or damage to property. The army launched a counter strike, firing artillery shells at the assumed location of the Katyusha launchers.
Lebanese officials also confirmed that several rockets were fired, with at least one falling short inside Lebanon. They said that the source of the rockets was likely the village of Kfar Hamam.
IDF forces, including infantry, tanks, combat engineers, artillery, and intelligence, continue to operate throughout the Gaza Strip with the assistance of the Israel Air Force and the Israeli Navy.
The IAF attacked approximately 60 targets in Gaza overnight, including:
· Hamas police headquarters in Gaza City
· An area rigged with explosive devices intended for detonation against IDF forces
· Five rocket launching sites, including a squad of gunmen who fired mortar shells into Israel. Three gunmen were identified to have been hit
· Eight cells of gunmen, some in coordination with ground forces
· Nine weapons production and weapons storage facilities, including one in the home of a Hamas operative in Gaza City
· Approximately 35 weapons smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip
The Navy continued to support ground forces operating in Gaza, striking Hamas targets. The IDF continues to enforce the naval blockade in the area.
Six soldiers were wounded in ground operations throughout the night: In one incident, two officers were moderately wounded and an officer and two soldiers were lightly wounded when they were fired upon by gunmen. Soldiers returned fire and hit the assailants. Another soldier was lightly wounded in a second incident.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, it was reported that 17 rockets had been fired at the south, as well as 5 mortars, for the day, including a rocket which hit an Ashkelon school. The IDF uncovered a tunnel leading to the Nahal Oz fuel terminal.
On Wednesday, at least 16 rockets hit southern Israel, hitting Ashkelon, Beersheva, Yavne as well as Eshkol, Sha'ar HaNegev and S'dot Negev regions.
Here is the latest from Gaza: a mosque used to store at least one heavy weapon and ammunition:
The soldiers state that the mosque was a source of rocket fire on more than one occasion. It doesn't get said enough, so I will repeat it here: using a civilian area as a place for launching attacks is a war crime, and the area then loses its protected civilian status.
