IAF bombs Gaza mosque being used as weapons storehouse

[ZingPao]

By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents, and The Associated PRess

The Israel Air Force on Wednesday evening bombed a mosque in the southern Gaza Strip that Hamas had been using to store part of its rocket arsenal.

Shin Bet officials said that over the last few days, Palestinian militants have been seen carrying Katyusha and Qassam rockets, as well as a large supply of other weapons, around the vicinity of the mosque. The Shin Bet said that these weapons were destroyed in the IAF strike.

Israeli aircraft pounded smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border earlier Wednesday, setting off a huge explosion in a fuel tunnel, witnesses said, as other aircraft hit Hamas positions in Gaza City. No casualties were reported. The military said government buildings were hit, including an office of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

The IDF said Haniyeh's office was a "government target that also served as a planning, support, and finance center for terrorist activity."

The army added that the strike also hit a Hamas ammunition arsenal, a military camp and a rocket launcher.

A senior Israeli military officer on Wednesday said jetfighters have carried out some 500 sorties against Hamas targets in Gaza. He said helicopters have flown hundreds more combat missions.

The officer claimed 95 percent of the intended targets were hit.

He said the targets included Hamas command posts, some 130 missile launch sites and anyone who could be carrying a weapon. Also hit was Hamas Islamic University, which he described as a weapons research facility.

He said all efforts were made to avoid civilian casualties, including calling residents on their phones to warn them their buildings were about to be hit.

However, dozens of civilians have been killed in the offensive, along with some 200 Hamas policemen.

The officer spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.

A Palestinian medic was killed and two others wounded when an Israeli missile struck next to their ambulance during a clash east of Gaza City, Palestinians said. The IDF said it did not know of the incident

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces has finished preparing for a ground operation in the Gaza Strip. However, it will not begin such an incursion until it receives the go-ahead from the government.

On Tuesday, at least 30 Palestinians - including two sisters aged 5 and 12 - were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, and Palestinians fired more than 40 rockets on southern Israel by Tuesday evening. A Katyusha rocket hit Be'er Sheva - located 37 kilometers from Gaza - for the first time on Tuesday. Ofakim and Rahat, both 25 kilometers from Gaza, were also hit by their first Katyushas.

Hamas took responsibility for the Katyushas aimed at Be'er Sheva, and its military wing said Tuesday night that it plans to fire at Israeli targets that are even further away as long as the IDF operation continues.

At least 390 Palestinians, including 36 children and nine women, have been killed by Israeli forces since Operation Cast Lead began on Saturday, according to Palestinian sources. According to Channel 2, 220 of those fatalities were members of Hamas.

The Israel Air Force continued its intensive search for rocket launchers on Tuesday. "We haven't finished the work yet," IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told President Shimon Peres on Tuesday.

Israel bombed dozens of smuggling tunnels in Rafah Tuesday night, the second such attack in two days. The attack came after Israel advised the Egyptian army to move its soldiers away from the border so they wouldn't get hurt in the bombing. Aside from the tunnels, the number of targets attacked by the air force decreased on Tuesday.

Israeli warplanes bombed the Hamas government complex in Tel al-Hawa, in the Gaza City area, knocking down the seven-story buildings housing Hamas' foreign, finance and labor ministries early Tuesday. In a separate attack, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's office was bombed a second time.

The Israel Navy also took part in the operation, with navy ships attacking targets along the Gaza coast.

Hamas accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of establishing an emergency operations room to prepare plans for a Fatah takeover of Gaza if Israel begins a ground incursion. Hamas' military wing vowed that if Israel attempted to bring its troops into the Strip, the children of Gaza would soon be collecting soldiers' body parts.

Barak asks for additional reserve troops

Defense Minister Ehud Barak asked the cabinet Tuesday night to approve the mobilization of an additional 2,510 reserve forces soldiers by means of an emergency call-up order (Tzav Shmoneh).

If approved, they will join the 6,700 reservists whose mobilization the cabinet approved on Sunday. Barak apprised Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel of his decision in writing, and requested approval of the order from the cabinet by phone. The resolution will be submitted to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee within 48 hours, as required by law.

The additional reservists will be deployed in the Home Front Command, the Border Police, the Navy, the Logistics Branch, Military Intelligence and Ground Forces headquarters.

The Home Front Command will begin training activities on Wednesday in the communities that were only included in the rocket-strike range as of Monday, such as Gan Yavne, Yavne and Rehovot. Some reservists will be deployed to the liaison units working with local governments in these
communities. Physicians and psychologists will be called up to assist local governments in the south with their emergency response programs.

The head of the Israel Defense Force's Central Command, Yair Golan, is planning to introduce an experimental program that will divide the larger towns and cities in the area under attack into districts to facilitate the use of volunteers. He also wants to dispatch students in military academies to the south to aid the communities.

The Central Command plans to focus its activities on Wednesday on Ofakim, which was hit by Katyusha rockets on Tuesday for the first time.

Military officials believe 2,000 rockets remain in terrorist organizations' arsenals, compared to nearly 3,000 last week. More than 200 rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since Operation Cast Lead began.

Hundreds more were destroyed in Israel Air Force sorties, as were rocket launchers. The same officials believe that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have a few dozen Katyusha rockets with a range of 40 kilometers, and a few hundred 20 kilometer rockets.

Army officials are very concerned about the 120 kilometer Iranian-made mortar shells that are causing heavy damage in Gaza-area communities and IDF bases. The assumption is that some of the rockets fired in the past few days were aimed at Air Force bases in the south, although none have hit their mark. About one quarter of the rockets fired this week from Gaza hit populated areas, with the remainder falling in open areas.

The IDF believes that about two thirds of Hamas' underground rocket launch sites in the northern Gaza Strip were destroyed in the first round of Air Force sorties, on Saturday.

Additional bunkers were destroyed in the days that followed, after a way was found of striking them when civilians were not in the vicinity.

The IDF has made frequent use of what is known as "knocking on the roof": Militants are warned by phone when a residential building used to store arms will be bombed, and told to vacate the premised together with their neighbors. The weapons caches are hit only after the residents leave.

Hamas has tried placing civilians on the roofs of such buildings when the phone call warning comes in. In these cases, the IDF fired antitank missiles near the building, and in a few cases the residents left.

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WATCH: Israel's attack on Gaza from the missiles' viewpoint

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051305.html

[TEC3009]

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/516.html

Unlike the Israeli bombing of the Mosque allegedly full of non food items - Is there anybody who questions this evidence?

[ZingPao]

Originally Posted by TEC3009

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/516.html

Unlike the Israeli bombing of the Mosque allegedly full of non food items - Is there anybody who questions this evidence?

When the IAF hits those tunnels it's obvious those tunnels are full of weapons. I think the term is sympathetic targets. Another term would be target rich environment; many valid targets in Gaza. Unfortunately, the Hamas being cowards, hide in schools, hospitals and mosque.

Also, condider the range of these so called "homemade rockets" of the Hamas. The range on these things are up to 30 miles. And they are using them to kill indiscriminately. At least Israel is striking valid targets.

[Knight of the Word]

Originally Posted by ZingPao

When the IAF hits those tunnels it's obvious those tunnels are full of weapons. I think the term is sympathetic targets. Another term would be target rich environment; many valid targets in Gaza. Unfortunately, the Hamas being cowards, hide in schools, hospitals and mosque.

Also, condider the range of these so called "homemade rockets" of the Hamas. The range on these things are up to 30 miles. And they are using them to kill indiscriminately. At least Israel is striking valid targets.

If you hide weapons of war and they find them its a valid target, only cowards hide behind children the old and sick.

[ZingPao]

Originally Posted by Knight of the Word

If you hide weapons of war and they find them its a valid target, only cowards hide behind children the old and sick.

That "warriors" would hide behind civilians. I saw a story on CNN about teenage suicide bombers trained by these same criminals, but I can't seem to get the the article to come up.

[Knight of the Word]

You have to wonder if those pricks have any balls or brains, seriously they out number the jews but still let them enslave them, stupid sheep for sure.

So why has Israel not done one single UN mandate if they are not the Criminals?


Would there even be a problem if Israel was not stopping Gaza going about its Democratic business?


Who are Israel to blockade GAZA & tell Gaza what to do?

[Knight of the Word]

how can they boycott them they have ocean ports and a border with egypt and a long border with jordan. If they behaved themselves I am sure egypt would keep the border open.

[tranquill]

Israeli dissident analytic writes that IDF op in Gaza is already stuck, Israelis are bogged down, and basically that's the end of the war: http://samsonblinded.org/news/israel...-momentum-5424

If you are under the impression that this offensive has *anything* to do with rockets then you are sorely mistaken. There is an election in Israel next month and the more Palestinian blood you have on your hands the more votes you get.

Hamas rockets have killed 20 people in 8 years, Israel have killed 400 in 6 days, there is no proportionality. There is also a requirement under the Geneva convention for Israel to ensure to the best of its ability that civilains are not injured. Given that 25% of those killed in the last 6 days have been civilians then they are guilty of war crimes (this is a FACT not hyperbole)

If Israel did what UN Resolution 242 demanded and went back to their pre-1967 borders, lifted the siege of Palestinian territories, allowed Palestinians their RIGHT to self determination and basically stopped being a fucking bully, then the rockets would stop.

Hamas have said that they will stop firing rockets if Israel ends the siege and stops bombing Gaza (they don't even ask for Israel to implement resolution 242!). Which bit of this is unacceptable?

There are 1.5 million people crammed in to Gaza, they have electricity for about 4 hours a day, there is no economy to speak of and people survive on about 50p a day, they are not allowed freedom to travel, some have to find rubbish to burn in order to heat their food. Basic necessities such as medical aid and food are regularly stopped from entering the strip. They are denied basic rights such as self determination (btw Hamas was democratically elected, what the coalition forces are supposedly in Iraq and Afghanistan to encourage!), the right to medical care, the right to education, the right to earn a living, freedom of movement, basic protection for their children and now Israel are dropping bombs on them!

Before you start pontificating about poxy rockets you might want to look a bit deeper than what Fox fucking news tells you!