Israeli forces bisect Gaza, surround biggest city

Sunday 04th January, 06:33 PM JST

GAZA CITY —

Israeli ground troops and tanks cut swaths through the Gaza Strip early Sunday, bisecting the coastal territory and surrounding its biggest city as the new phase of a devastating offensive against Hamas gained momentum.

Thousands of soldiers in three brigade-size formations pushed into Gaza after nightfall Saturday, beginning a long-awaited ground offensive after a week of intense aerial bombardment. Black smoke billowed over Gaza City at first light and bursts of machine gun fire rang out.

TV footage showed Israeli troops with night-vision goggles and camouflage face paint marching in single file. Artillery barrages preceded their advance, and they moved through fields and orchards following bomb-sniffing dogs ensuring their routes had not been booby-trapped.

The military said troops killed or wounded dozens of militant fighters. Palestinian medics and doctors said 23 Palestinians have been killed — three Hamas fighters and the rest civilians. Many of the casualties were in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, the scene of some of the heaviest fighting, the said.

Army ambulances were seen bringing Israeli wounded to a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba. The military reported 30 Israeli troops were wounded, two seriously, in the opening hours of the offensive.

In his first public comments since the ground operation was launched, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that the invasion was unavoidable and that his government exhausted all other options before approving the operation.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak predicted a long and difficult campaign in Gaza, a densely populated territory of 1.4 million where militants operate and easily hide among the crowded urban landscape.

Hamas threatened to turn Gaza into a “graveyard” for Israeli forces.

“You entered like rats,” Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan told Israeli soldiers in a statement on Hamas’ Al Aqsa TV. “Gaza will be a graveyard for you, God willing.”

The ground operation is the second phase in an offensive that began as a weeklong aerial onslaught aimed at halting Hamas rocket fire that has reached deeper and deeper into Israel, threatening major cities and one-eighth of Israel’s population. Palestinian officials say nearly 480 people, including dozens of civilians, were killed in the air offensive.

Rocket fire has persisted, however, and several rockets fell in Israel on Sunday morning, causing no casualties. In much of southern Israel school has been canceled and life has been largely paralyzed.

While the air offensive presented little risk for Israel’s army, sending in ground troops is a much more dangerous proposition. Hamas is believed to have some 20,000 gunman who know the dense urban landscape intimately. For months, Israeli leaders had resisted a ground invasion, fearing heavy casualties.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he decided that the government had no more choice.

“I want to be able to go to the Israeli public and all the mothers and say, ‘We did everything in a responsible manner,’” Olmert said in a statement released by his office. “In the end, we reached the moment where I had to decide to send out soldiers.”

He stressed the campaign’s objective is to restore quiet to Israel’s south, not to topple Hamas or reoccupy Gaza. Israel considers Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since June 2007 and is sworn to Israel’s destruction, a terrorist group.

Israel has launched at least two other large ground offensives in Gaza since withdrawing its troops from the area in 2005. But the size of this latest operation dwarfs those, with at least three times the firepower.

Israel also has called up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers, which defense officials said could enable a far broader ground offensive as the operation’s third phase. The troops could also be used in the event Palestinian militants in the West Bank or Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon decide to launch attacks. Hezbollah opened a war against Israel in 2006 when it was in the midst of a large operation in Gaza.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the military’s preparations are classified.

An armored force south of Gaza City penetrated as deep as the abandoned settlement of Netzarim, which Israel left along with other Israeli communities when it pulled out of Gaza in 2005, both military officials and Palestinian witnesses said.

That move effectively cut off Gaza City, the territory’s largest population center with about 400,000 people, from the rest of Gaza to the south.

The offensive focused on northern Gaza, where most of the rockets are fired into Israel, but at least one incursion was reported in the southern part of the strip. Hamas uses smuggling tunnels along the southern border with Egypt to bring in weapons.

Warplanes struck about four dozen targets overnight, including tunnels, weapons storage facilities, areas used to launch mortars and squads of Hamas fighters, the military said.

Gunboats backed up the ground forces, attacking Hamas intelligence headquarters in Gaza City, rocket-launching areas and positions of Hamas marine forces.

Hamas was responding with mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades. Field commanders communicated over walkie talkie, updating gunmen on the location of Israeli forces. Commanders told gunmen in the streets not to gather in big groups and not to use cell phones. Hamas’ TV and radio stations, broadcasting from secret locations after their offices were destroyed, remained on the air, broadcasting live coverage.

Ground forces had not entered major Gaza towns and cities by early Sunday morning, instead fighting in rural communities and open areas militants often use to launch rockets and mortar rounds. Militants also fire from heavily populated neighborhoods.

Residents of the small northern Gaza community of al-Attatra said soldiers moved from house to house by blowing holes through walls. Most of the houses were unoccupied, their residents already having fled.

Israel launched the air campaign against Gaza on Dec 27. Gaza health officials say more than 480 Palestinians were killed in the first eight days of the operation. The breakdown of combatants and civilians remains unclear, but the U.N. says at least 100 civilians were killed in the initial, aerial phase of the war.

Hundreds of rockets have hit Israel so far, and four Israelis have been killed.

The decision to send ground troops into Gaza was taken after Hamas kept up its rocket fire despite the aerial assault, government officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because discussions leading up to wartime decisions are confidential.

The ballooning death toll in Gaza — along with concerns of a looming humanitarian crisis — has aroused mounting world outrage, as evidenced by protests that drew tens of thousands of demonstrators in European capitals on Saturday.

“There is a humanitarian crisis. It’s impossible to say how many innocent women, innocent children and innocent babies are being caught up in this conflict, who are being maimed and killed,” said Chris Gunness, a United Nations spokesman. “This offensive must stop.”

Denunciations also came from the French government, which unsuccessfully proposed a two-day truce earlier this week, and from Egypt, which brokered the six-month truce whose breakdown preceded the Israeli offensive.

But the U.S. has put the blame squarely on Hamas. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said U.S. officials have been in regular contact with the Israelis as well as officials from countries in the region and Europe.

“We continue to make clear to them our concerns for civilians, as well as the humanitarian situation,” he said.

At an emergency consultation of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday night, the U.S. blocked approval of a statement demanded by Arab countries that would have called for an immediate cease-fire. U.S. deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff said the U.S. believed that such a statement “would not be adhered to and would have no underpinning for success, (and) would not do credit to the council.”

Hamas began to emerge as Gaza’s main power broker when it won Palestinian parliamentary elections three years ago. It has ruled the impoverished territory since seizing control from forces loyal to moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in June 2007.

_____

Associated Press writer Amy Teibel reported from Jerusalem.

› Login to comment

Latest 15 of 195 Total Comments Show All

sabiwabi at 10:43 AM JST - 5th January

The peopl like VOR or YuriOtani don't know the real facts and can't see what is happening in front of them. They are blind although their eyes are wide opened.

I suspect they know very well what is happening. They are covering for their friends.

Does anyone else know how to solve Gaza palestine woes and Israel woes,please suggest any solutions?

For starters, I suggest Israel respect UN resolutions. That would certainly help. Even better would be for all Israelis to return to their respective homelands and stop taking US taxpayers' money to move into Palestinian land.
Sarge at 05:44 PM JST - 5th January

"Does anyone else know how to solve Gaza palestine woes and Israel woes, please suggest any solutions"

Foe starters, I suggest Hamas and the Palestinians supporting them stop firing rockets and mortars at Israel. That would certainly help. Even better would be for all troublemakers in Gaza to get with the program and stop making life miserable for so many.
Molenir at 08:57 AM JST - 6th January

I think what should happen, is that Israel should take the gloves off. Start doing what Hamas does. Everytime Hamas fires off a rocket, Israel should fire off one as well. Everytime Hamas sends another bomber to blow themselves up in a market, Israel should fire a rocket at a crowded Gaza market too. You people that want to accuse Israel of doing all these horrible things, lets have Israel retaliate the same way Hamas does. Sure a lot of innocent civilians would be killed, but then, you all seem to be fine with that anyway. Guess it doesn't matter, as long as they're Jews.
Crucades at 12:07 PM JST - 6th January

UN should step in to stop this barbaric Israeli aggression towards civilians, terrorism is not a problem that demands an overthetop military solution. This invasion is pure evil.
nandakandamanda at 12:14 PM JST - 6th January

Crucs, neither the UN nor the USA have the power to 'step in and stop' Israel.

It will take time and pressure.

Just as Iran cannot now stop Hamas right away.
Crucades at 12:44 PM JST - 6th January

Political and economical sanctions would be a good start, if anything would get Israel in touch with reality would be the prospect of them losing their US backers, and left completely isolated in the middle east.

The problem here is their constant persecution of the palestinian civilian population. These rockets arent launched from city blocks, so why is there such widespread death and destruction?

The irony is Israel is acting exactly the same as the Nazis used too. Somebody has to do something.
Molenir at 02:16 PM JST - 6th January

UN should step in to stop this barbaric Israeli aggression towards civilians, terrorism is not a problem that demands an overthetop military solution. This invasion is pure evil.

Crusades - Actually the UN should step in to stop the barbaric Hamas attacks upon Israel. The evil here is that if Hamas wishes to fight Israel, they should come out and do so rather then hiding like rats among civilians, forcing their people to be human shields. No, stop Hamas, and the invasion goes away. End Hamas evil reign of terror!
Loki520 at 09:28 PM JST - 6th January

Here's an idea... carpet bomb the place. Then BOOM. No more rockets into Israel.

Problem solved. Or, they could simply STOP lobbing rockets into Israel to begin with and avoid the military action. Nahh, they won't do that.
Shichiman at 10:32 PM JST - 6th January

They're all mental. Someone drops a bomb, someone retaliates, someone retaliates, someone retaliates.... It's a never-ending cycle. I know I'm MASSIVELY generalising but so many atrocities have been committed by both sides over the years that it's impossible to place the blame on either. They're both as bad as each other.

I don't think this is a situation that will be resolved by fighting or talking. If they can hold back on the fighting for a generation or two the hatred between them would be lessened and neutralised.

Every post argues one way or the other. I'm sat here thinking "Palestinian sympathy, must be a Muslim/ Isreali sympathy, must be a Jew". This whole conflict is the only proof you need of the damaging power of religion.
Bento at 02:46 AM JST - 8th January

molenir "guess it doesnt matter as long as they are jews"..which religion are you jewish,christian,islamic or just plain moronic..all human lives are precious..soldiers too.
Molenir at 06:41 AM JST - 8th January

Yeah, thats my point too. It shouldn't matter, but to some it obviously does. To some posting here, it seems that the lives of Jews are much less important then the lives of others.
Thenewfront at 07:09 AM JST - 8th January

AS a neutral i find Israels attacks on innocent women and children beyond belief. World opinion is totally against Israel , except from the USA, the Israeli paymaster, weapons supplier, and no1 fan.

Now prominent Jews in Europe are being warned of revenge attacks, and all because the state of Israel decided to destroy the people and property of the Gaza residents, innocent or not. An absolute disgrace.
Molenir at 08:31 AM JST - 8th January

AS a neutral i find Israels attacks on innocent women and children beyond belief.

So, as a neutral, how do you find their attacks on Hamas? Hamas is hiding behind the skirts of their women, but Israel is shooting at them, not the women and children who shelter them. Thats what I find truly disgraceful.
Thenewfront at 08:45 AM JST - 8th January

The BBC just showed proof thatbthe Israelis knew ther were no gunmen in the UN school, came from Israeli military, for you doubters.

Cna anyone on either side now seriously doubt that Israel is comitting genocide?

This is like the Warsaw ghetto, very, very sad indeed.
Shichiman at 03:17 PM JST - 8th January

Molenir, I really don't see how you can sympathise with Israel? This is an atrocity. It's a moral disgrace. If Iehovah actually existed surely this would be punishable with eternal damnation.

The Palestinians are just as bad. They have mercilessly maimed and killed thousands of innocent Jews AND Muslims over the years. They're still using dirty tactics to cause as much damage as possible. If Allah actually existed surely this would be punishable with eternal damnation.

How anyone can think their sympathetic comments are valid and without bias on this topic is beyond belief. Christians and Jews ("the West") will GENERALLY sympathise with Israel, Muslims will generally sympathise with the Palestines.

I would love to hear comments from a Muslim who sympathises with Israel and vice-versa.