Israel begins Gaza ground offensive

[Civilsed]

Israel begins Gaza ground offensive


Israeli soldiers entered Gaza after seven
days of bombing by warplanes [Reuters]




The Israeli army has entered the Gaza Strip as it escalated its offensive on the eighth day of operations.

A column of tanks entered the besieged territory though the Beit Hanoun crossing shortly after nightfall on Saturday, as the Israeli cabinet said it had called up about 9,000 reservists as part of its preparations.

Alan Fisher, Al Jazeera's correspondent on the Israeli-Gaza border, said that he had witnessed the movement of tanks and armoured vehicles in the area.

Hamas has vowed to defeat the Israeli army following the invasion.

Zeina Awad, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem, said that Israeli media was reporting that several Hamas fighters had been killed at the start of the ground offensive.

The Reuters news agency said a senior Hamas official has said that its fighters had killed a number of Israeli soldiers but there was no word from Israel on any casualties.

Reservists mobilised

Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minster, said: "Our aim is to force Hamas to stop its hostile acitivities against Israel and bring about significant change.

"We have carefully weighed all our options, we are not war hungry but we should not allow a situation where our towns are constantly targeted by Hamas.

"The ground operation includes endangering the lives of the forces. I know that there are risks. It will not be easy or short, but we are determined. Now is the time to do what needs to be done".

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Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza, said: "Residents in the Beit Hanoun area say they have seen the movement of tanks into the territory.

"There is absolute fear and terror, it is pitch black, power lines have been cut throughout the strip, more than 250,000 people in northern Gaza are without electricity.

"The biggest concern is a ground invasion could result in urban warfare.

"Rockets are being fired from deeper and deeper within Gaza and if Israel's intention is to prevent such attacks how far into Gaza, an area densely populated with civilians, will they need to go?"

Speaking to Al Jazeera, James Denselow, a Middle East specialist from Kings College, London, said: "Hamas operates as an asymmetrial force. It knows its strength and knows indiscriminate rockets can cause alarm.

"This is why the Israeli army has used air strikes to 'soften' the ground followed by an assault at night when low-tech armies such as Hamas find it very hard to fight."

The gound assault came as the death toll of Palestinians climbed past 450 on Saturday as a strike on a northern Gaza town killed at least 11 people, including one child, who were praying in a mosque.

'Several days'

Israeli artillery had started firing shells into the Gaza Strip for the first time on Saturday, ahead of the ground offensive.

Ofir Gendelman, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, said: "All we asking for is to create a normal life for people of Israel. We'll keep on targeting Hamas objectives until the situation on the ground there is transformed.

"They [Israeli ground forces] will be completing the mission of the air force, going for Hamas headquarters and weapons caches and giving a blow to their capability to launch attacks into Israel.

"It will take quite a number of days to get the job done."

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said: "Israel can claim in various stages that it has won this or that war against Arabs but it is obvious since the invasion of Lebanon in 1982 that there is no military solution to Israel's secueity.

"It cannot bomb its way into peaceful co-existence. Israel is trying to do all it can to destroy Hamas but with more than 400 dead, there will be more than 400 more new recruits in Gaza.

"It has taken this path and will probably pay the price in the long term, short term it's the Palestinians who pay the price."

Hamas resistance


Meshaal says Hamas is prepared to handle an Israeli ground offensive [AFP]

"If you commit the stupidity of launching a ground offensive, then a black destiny awaits you," Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of Hamas, said on Friday.

"You will soon find out that Gaza is the wrath of God."

Meshaal, speaking from the Syrian capital of Damascus on Friday, said Palestinians in Gaza were ready for any land offensive made by the Israelis.

"This battle was imposed on us and we are confident we will achieve victory because we have made our preparations.

"Our position is clear. We will not give in. Our resolve cannot be broken," he said.

"Our demand is also clear. The war must end, the siege lifted, and crossing points open without restriction."

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies