Scores die in Israeli air strikes

['Abd-al Latif]

Israel in 'all-out war' with Hamas

At least 51 Palestinian civilians have been killed in Israeli air raids, the UN says [Reuters]


Israel's military is in an "all-out war" with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Ehud Barak, the defence minister, says.

Palestinian medical sources say at least 345 Gazans have been killed and another 1,450 wounded in three consecutive days of Israeli bombardment in the heavily-populated territory.

"We have nothing against Gaza residents, but we are engaged in an all-out war against Hamas and its proxies," Barak said on Monday.

There were also growing fears that a ground offensive was being planned after Israel declared a "closed military zone" around the Gaza Strip.

Israel says the creation of a buffer zone along the border will help protect it from rocket attacks.

Civilians, including journalists, could be banned from an area between 2km and 4km deep under the policy. On previous occasions, such a move has sometimes been followed by military operations.

"This operation will expand and deepen as much as needed," Barak said. "We went to war to deal a heavy blow to Hamas, to change the situation in the south."

Trapped Palestinians

Tanks and troops have been massed in the area since the attacks, referred to by the Israeli military as Operation Cast Lead, was launched on Saturday.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Gaza City, said that there was little the residents of Gaza could do to prepare for any possible ground assault.

"In a city that is so densely-populated, a ground offensive would mean urban warfare, street-to-street fighting ... leaving many Palestinians in the crossfire," he said.

"Unlike other conflict zones where there is the possibility to flee the war zone, Gaza itself has become the war zone. There is nowhere for the population to go, they are in the middle of all these attacks."

Israel said it began pounding the Gaza Strip with missiles fired from warplanes and helicopter gunships in order to halt the rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian fighters.

"Military officials said yesterday that this operation will go on until Hamas stops firing missiles into southern Israel," Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from southern Israel, said.

"They are also very much aware that they wouldn't really be able to stop that, but at least they will try to degrade the capability of Hamas."

Israeli justification

Scores of rockets have hit southern Israel since the offensive got under way.

On Monday, an Israeli Arab was killed and eight others wounded when one of the missiles hit a construction site in the city of Ashkelon.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, said the Israeli offensive was aimed at Hamas and not the Palestinian people.

"We tried to avoid this. You know that Israel accepted the truce that was initiated by the Egyptians in order to create peace and quiet. We adopted the truce. What we got in return? We got in return daily attacks, we got in return smuggling of weapons to Gaza Strip with long-range [capabilities]," she said.

Livni also appealed to Palestinian civilians to leave for safer places within the Gaza Strip and advised them against staying in places close to Hamas infrastructure.

Support for Israel came from the US, with the White House saying Hamas must halt cross-border rocket fire.

"In order for the violence to stop, Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel and agree to respect a sustainable and durable ceasefire," Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman said.

Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary-general, meanwhile, urged Arab and world leaders to press for an end to the violence in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli air raids have pounded the heavily-populated Gaza Strip for three days [AFP]


Egyptian gesture

On Monday, Egyptian authorities allowed ambulances carrying several wounded Palestinians to cross into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing for medical treatment.

Hospitals in Gaza have been overwhelmed by casualties since Israel started its aerial blitz on the territory.

Egypt also allowed lorries loaded with humanitarian aid to enter its border crossing with the Gaza Strip. Lorries with food and medical supplies have been lining up outside the Egypt-Gaza border since early morning.

The UN relief and works agency said on Monday that at least 51 Palestinian civilians, including women and children, were confirmed to be among those killed in the Gaza Strip.

An UNRWA spokesman said the figure, which was based on visits to hospitals and medical centres was "conservative" and "certainly rising".

Four young girls from the same family in the northern town of Jabaliya and two young boy from Rafah were among those killed in the latest raids, Palestinian medics said.

Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros said the situation at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City was chaotic as the territory's health system struggled to cope with the more than 1,400 people injured.

"Hundreds of people are just waiting outside ... the problem is that there simply aren't enough beds to cope with the number of injured," she said.

"Medical sources here are telling us they are running out of everything, from gauzes to saline solutions, and critically now they are running out of almost every type of blood."

A six-month truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip ended on December 19.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/2008122994140674153.html

 

['Abd-al Latif]

Gaza hospitals struggle to cope

Following Israel's unprecedented assault on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics are working overtime to save lives.

But medical supplies in the besieged territory are low and hospitals are struggling to cope with the high number of casualties.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTpWEtGgDJM[/media]

 

['Abd-al Latif]

US firmly behind Israel over Gaza attacks

Even as the death toll in Gaza rises, US support for Israel's actions has not waivered.
Since the bombings began, the US has backed Israel to do whatever it takes to keep Israeli civilian casualties to a minimum.
Tom Ackerman has more from Washington, DC.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-fRLODYoH0[/media]

 

[Izyan]

First of all, nobody is going into Israel because the Palistinians are caged in that tiny Gaza stip like a bird in a cage.

Secondly, what would you do if you were surrounded by Israeli soldiers who were going to kill you and your family, but you had the chance to kill them all in a single blast and save your family but it would come at the expence of your own life. What would you do??

When they weren't locked in their cages a lot of pizzerias spontaneously combusted

 

[Mr. Sandman]

First of all, nobody is going into Israel because the Palistinians are caged in that tiny Gaza stip like a bird in a cage.

Suicide bombers, that hamas and other militant groups in Gaza/West Bank have sent, have struck in Israel killing innocent civilians. That is a fact.

Secondly, what would you do if you were surrounded by Israeli soldiers who were going to kill you and your family, but you had the chance to kill them all in a single blast and save your family but it would come at the expence of your own life. What would you do??

Well if they were to kill my family for no apparent reason, then yes, I would kill myself to save them. I would not go into Israel and blow myself among innocent civilians, a tactic hamas uses.

 

['Abd-al Latif]

Suicide bombers, that hamas and other militant groups in Gaza/West Bank have sent, have struck in Israel killing innocent civilians. That is a fact.

Well if they were to kill my family for no apparent reason, then yes, I would kill myself to save them. (I've proven my point) I would not go into Israel and blow myself among innocent civilians, a tactic hamas uses.

When they weren't locked in their cages a lot of pizzerias spontaneously combusted

Really? So tell me, how did they get past the blockade which monitors every inch of the Gaza border, not allowing sometimes even humanitarian support at all, which has been the case at least for the past 8 months?

 

[The_Prince]

When they weren't locked in their cages a lot of pizzerias spontaneously combusted

you seem to act like its one way taffic, do you forget there is an occupation? and that many more Palestinians have been killed, and much more property has been destroyed? why act like its all one way traffic? and it seems you do agree with locking them up like a bird, which shows where your comming from, hopefully the same will befall you one day, .

 

[The_Prince]

Suicide bombers, that hamas and other militant groups in Gaza/West Bank have sent, have struck in Israel killing innocent civilians. That is a fact.

Well if they were to kill my family for no apparent reason, then yes, I would kill myself to save them. I would not go into Israel and blow myself among innocent civilians, a tactic hamas uses.

correction, the suicide bombings killed many reservist soldiers, get your facts straight. secondly, the bombings were as a result of the occupation, something you so conveniantly miss, as well as the oppression that results from the occupation, perhaps you would like to mention that instead of ignoring it to portray Israel as the victim, they are the occupier.

 

[Whatsthepoint]

Really? So tell me, how did they get past the blockade which monitors every inch of the Gaza border, not allowing sometimes even humanitarian support at all, which has been the case at least for the past 8 months?

One of the purposes of the blockage was to prevent terrorist attacks. As it seems the mission was a success.

 

['Abd-al Latif]

Mr. Sandman I've got one thing to say to you.

Ask a Palistinian who has lived in Palistine to confirm whether these statistics are true or not!

Stop asking non-muslims what the Muslims must be doing!

 

[Mr. Sandman]

Mr. Sandman I've got one thing to say to you.

Ask a Palistinian who has lived in Palistine to confirm whether these statistics are true or not!

These suicide bombing occured in Israel....

Stop asking non-muslims what the Muslims must be doing![/QUOTE]

Sorry, I did not understand that bit.

 

[Keltoi]

It will only be a matter of time before Hamas starts recruiting people for suicide attacks inside of Israel. The cycle will continue. The only hope is negotiation for a two state solution. That is and has always been the only solution.

 

['Abd-al Latif]

These suicide bombing occured in Israel....
Sorry, I did not understand that bit.

I meant to say, ask a the accused whether those statistics are true or not! Don't blindly accept what you see because obviously there is more to what meets the eye.

Be sincere if you really wanna get to the bottom of this and don't resort to non-muslim sources alone, look at a muslim source also and make a fair and just judgement.

 

[Keltoi]

Israel will not stand for another Intifada. If suicide attacks begin in Israel it will only lead to many, many more Palestinian deaths.

 

[Whatsthepoint]

It will only be a matter of time before Hamas starts recruiting people for suicide attacks inside of Israel. The cycle will continue. The only hope is negotiation for a two state solution. That is and has always been the only solution.

Palestinians don't seem to like the idea.

 

['Abd-al Latif]

Israel will not stand for another Intifada. If suicide attacks begin in Israel it will only lead to many, many more Palestinian deaths.

Palestinians don't seem to like the idea.

And they won't like it either.

One thing i've been waiting for, for a very long time, is to hear from the Palistinians their reasons for the constant attacks on Israel.

All you ever hear is 'We will continue to attack'. There is more to it then that but the news channels will never show you that!

 

[Keltoi]

Palestinians don't seem to like the idea.

They can choose liking a two state solution or liking perpetual conflict. Unfortunately I believe by electing Hamas they chose perpetual conflict. That is exactly what they will get.

 

[Whatsthepoint]

I guess Palis will have to wait for the Arab world to come together and amass a sufficient military power to confront Israel.
If tehy choose to rocket Israel in the meantime, well, its their own choice.

 

['Abd-al Latif]

They can choose liking a two state solution or liking perpetual conflict. Unfortunately I believe by electing Hamas they chose perpetual conflict. That is exactly what they will get.

I guess Palis will have to wait for the Arab world to come together and amass a sufficient military power to confront Israel.
If tehy choose to rocket Israel in the meantime, well, its their own choice.

And what does Hamas have to say about that?

Who knows, and probably we never will.

No one will start a war for no reason or justification, they have the lives of their people, their friends and family and their own selves to save rather then attacking a country which is backed by the UN and UK in any and every form of support.

Hamas, then, must have a justified reason to attack.

 

[Keltoi]

And what does Hamas have to say about that?

Who knows, and probably we never will.

No one will start a war for no reason or justification, they have the lives of their people, their friends and family and their own selves to save rather then attacking a country which is backed by the UN and UK in any and every form of support.

I'm sure Hamas and their supporters believe there is justification and reason. Just as I'm sure the Israeli government believes there is justification and reason for launching their own attacks.