The ground offensive has begun
Israel begins firing artillery shells into Gaza
By Amos Harel, Yoav Stern and Yanir Yagana, Haaretz
The Israel Defense Forces began firing artillery shells into open areas inside the Gaza Strip on Saturday, for the first time since the offensive began a week ago, heralding a possible escalation in more than a week of fighting.
[Israel okays call-up of tens of thousands of reservists as Gaza ground op gets underway]
Palestinian witnesses said the barrage caused a large explosion in Gaza City as well as a series of blasts stitching the nearby frontier with Israel.
Channel 10 television quoted a witness as saying that Israel was shelling targets along the entire length of the shared border.
At one tank base along the border, the roar of tank engines and the rumble of their movements toward the border could be heard after dark, though none moved across the frontier. Hamas officials also reported tank movement toward the border near the northern Erez crossing point.
Defense officials said some 10,000 troops, including tank, artillery and special operations units, were massed on the Gaza border and prepared to invade. They said top commanders were split over whether to send in ground forces, in part because such an operation could lead to heavy casualties but also because they believe Hamas already has been dealt a heavy blow.
A family in Beit Lahiya said that an Israeli artillery shell had hit a house there, wounding many people. Ambulances could not immediately reach them because of the resulting fire, they said.
Meanwhile, Israel Air Force warplanes stepped up airstrikes on Gaza, bombing the main road that runs throughout the strip in three different spots, making travel from one side of the Strip to the other close to impossible.
Palestinian health officials in Gaza reported Saturday evening that 13 people had been killed in another IAF bombing of a mosque in Beit Lahiya. They said that 26 Palestinians had died in IAF raids after dark Saturday.
The air force struck more than 40 Hamas targets over the course of Saturday, killing the third senior Hamas official since Israel’s aerial assault began.
Comment by yamit82 — January 3, 2009 @ 1:28 pm
[...] Israpundit: Defense officials said some 10,000 troops, including tank, artillery and special operations units, were massed on the Gaza border and prepared to invade. They said top commanders were split over whether to send in ground forces, in part because such an operation could lead to heavy casualties but also because they believe Hamas already has been dealt a heavy blow. [...]
Pingback by Fausta’s Blog » Blog Archive » Israel invades Gaza — January 3, 2009 @ 2:17 pm
Already reports of dozens of Hamas gone to meet their 72 virgins, going to be a long night.
Comment by yamit82 — January 3, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
The Israeli Cabinet decision was 10-0-2. Chaim Ramon and Eli Yishai abstained. It was unanimous. If Hamas is looking for Israeli divisions, they are gone. The people of Israel support the IDF and hope it succeeds in achieving victory. This campaign will not be short or easy. But it has to be done.
Comment by NormanF — January 3, 2009 @ 3:32 pm
God bless Israel, God bless the troops and Godspeed to those who have finally had enough of the evil that is represented by Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamists who have made their own lives miserable and who try endlessly to make the lives of Israel miserable and intolerable.
I have not been prouder of Israel since 1967 - this is the most significant battle thus far in the 21st century and a win will be a great victory for Western civilization. Western countries fail to fully support Israel because they have been infiltrated by the same Islamic operatives who infect the Middle East with their hate.
Let this be a sign that Islamism is on notice and their violence and philosophy will not be tolerated anywhere unless they change their ways and reform their religious mindset.
Comment by Gary — January 3, 2009 @ 5:01 pm
meh. I have been Omertized. I know how they play it, lots of noise, pretense, then do nothing.It’s far from time to celebrate.
My dog ate my homework. It’s they language of excuses.
Translation of the excuses: They don’t really want to fight. they are hoping the enemy had heart attacks so they don’t have to go in. Split? Got some names because that sounds like malarkey. I guess they had a show of hands to see who wants to fight today.
..
Ya’alon and the other reporting was right about the IDF. They are more afraid of their own lawyers than the enemy. They are afraid to take any casualties Doctor Evil stole their mojo. This all bodes ill for any overall success even if they get off their behinds. They just don’t have the will.
Comment by Max — January 3, 2009 @ 8:20 pm
Re: #3
Allah must be working overtime to get all those virgins ready. He is going to need them.
The only good Hamas is a dead Hamas.
Comment by Bill Levinson — January 4, 2009 @ 1:32 am