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IDF Enters Gaza to End Rocket and Katyusha Fire on Israel
40 rockets fired on Sderot and Kibbutzim result in 5 injured, one a small child; Katyushas fired on Ashkelon resulting in damage; A volunteer driving a tractor on a kibbutz farm killed by sniper fire; And finally, the IDF enters Gaza in force to stop the attacks on Israeli civilians. Palestinians claim 19 dead, 5 of them civilians, 50 injured.
On Tuesday the 15th of January a young volunteer driving a tractor on a southern Israeli farm was shot dead by a sniper hidden in a building across the border in Gaza. Hamas claimed responsibility for killing the Ecuadorian volunteer working on Kibbutz Ein Shlosha.
| Statement issued by Israel’s Foreign Ministry Kibbutz volunteer killed by Palestinian sniper 15 Jan 2008 Carlos Andres Mosquera Chavez, a 21-year-old volunteer from Quito, Ecuador, was killed by a Palestinian sniper from the Gaza Strip as he was working in the fields of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha. The Hamas Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the shooting.
A 20 year-old Ecuadorian citizen was shot and murdered by a Palestinian sniper near the security fence this morning, while working in a potato field as a volunteer on Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha in the northwestern Negev.
The IDF is operating in the Gaza Strip region to prevent these types of terrorist attacks. For example, this morning the IDF operated near the security fence in the northern part of Gaza.
The majority of residents in the northwestern Negev make their living from the surrounding farmland. There are approximately 30,000 residents who are constantly exposed to the terrorist threat emanating from the area near the security fence, which includes hostile rifle fire and the launching of rockets and mortar shells by terrorist organizations. The IDF conducts periodic security assessments in coordination with residents of regional communities surrounding Gaza in order to determine necessary security procedures. These assessments will be examined in light of the incident this morning. |
From early morning until midnight the same day 40 rockets were fired at civilian towns, farms, and kibbutzim in the Negev and 2 Katyushas were filed at the coastal city of Ashkelon. All came from the various terrorist groups under Hamas rule in Gaza.
Not counting the physical damage to homes, streets and property, 5 Israeli civilians were injured including a mother and her 5-yr old daughter. Four others were taken to the hospital in shock. The Katyushas fell in an empty field.
[channel 1, ITV photo]
Not counting the physical damage to homes, streets and property, 5 Israeli civilians were injured including a mother and her 5-yr old daughter. Four others were taken to the hospital in shock. The Katyushas fell in an empty field.
The headlines and excerpts from the news media listed below reflect the gradually increasing number of rockets as reporters tried to keep their information updated. As of this time 00:50 16th Jan, the number still grows and the fighting is still in progress in Gaza as of the midnight news broadcast.The total Palestinians killed (though reports are usually exaggerated) has been reported by Palestinians to be 19 or 20 with 5 of them being civilians caught in the crossfire. Another 50 were reported injured.
The most amazing statements were issued by PA authorities, both by Abbas and the Hamas leaders. By their account, it’s as if Israel suddenly took a decision to attack a peaceful neighbor without warning or cause. It sounds incredibly stupid in the face of the fact that the whole world has long known about the missiles constantly launched into Israeli towns from the Gaza population centers. However, it is not as stupid as it sounds: The west will pound their collective chests while saying mea culpa for themselves AND Israel. The non-aligned countries will tsk-tsk, shaming Goliath (Jewish) Israel in front of any camera available. Both groups expect Israel’s civilians to be brave and let little David (Arab) throw his little rock(et)s.
The Palestinian Authority threatened on Tuesday to suspend negotiations with Israel in response to the IDF operations in the Gaza Strip that left 19 Palestinians - most of them Hamas gunmen - dead. One of the dead was Hussam Zahar, 24, son of hard-line Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar.
One Jerusalem Post article quoted unnamed PA officials as calling Israel’s response to the attacks from Gaza a “massacre”. They accused Bush of being responsible for the Israeli action.
“Speaking to reporters in his Mukata presidential compound, Abbas said, "The Palestinians can't remain idle in the face of this massacre. Such crimes won't bring peace at all." Hamas's armed wing, Izzadin Kassam, called on its followers to carry out suicide bombings in Israel in retaliation for the killing of its members.” See full story: PA Threatens to Suspend Negotiations After 'Massacre' Video available on site
Another Jerusalem Post article indicated that Israeli forces expect an escalation in the number of missiles fired into Israel following the heavy fighting today. Hospitals in southern Israel were put on alert.
“Elite troops from the Golani Brigade's Egoz Unit, backed by tanks and Engineering Corps squads, swept into central Gaza early Tuesday morning in pursuit of Kassam rocket squads and terror infrastructure the IDF feared was being built up along the border fence.
"We are in a peace process, and we are also fighting terrorism, and both those things will continue in parallel," a senior government official said. “ See full story: Hamas vows revenge after 18 killed
Debkafile reported that there were heavy missile, rocket and machine gun barrages from Gaza into Israel off and on all day Tuesday, the 15th of Jan. In addition, mortar rounds were fired directly at homes by the terrorists.
“More Hamas missiles volleys Tuesday night raise day’s total fired against Israel to 36. One knocks out Sderot electricity : The sniper attack presented Israeli farmers working in their fields with a deadly new threat.”
Meanwhile, this appears to be the reaction Hamas has been pushing for. There is no other explanation for the continuous daily fire. It should be recognized that Hamas is actually employing this means to reach their goal. The Means: to escalate the war, while continually working to convince the world to limit Israel retaliation. The Goal: to drive all Jews out of Israel and take over the land, after which it will indeed be Hamastan by any name.
Israel Responds to Hamas Missiles