Israeli F-16 bombers have launched a series of air strikes against key targets in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 155 people, medical chiefs say.
Gaza officials and the Hamas militant group said about 200 others were hurt as missiles hit security compounds and militant bases across the territory.
The strikes, the most intense Israeli attacks on Gaza for decades, come days after a truce with Hamas expired.
Israel said it was responding to an escalation in rocket attacks from Gaza.
Palestinian militants frequently fire rockets against Israeli towns from inside the Gaza Strip; large numbers of rocket and mortar shells had been fired at Israel in recent days.
In a statement, Israel's military said it targeted "Hamas terror operatives" as well as training camps and weaponry storage warehouses.
In the West Bank, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas - whose Fatah faction was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007 - condemned the attacks and called for restraint.
But Hamas quickly vowed to carry out revenge attacks on Israel in response to the air strikes, firing Qassam rockets into Israeli territory as an immediate reply.
At least one Israeli was killed by a rocket strike in the town of Netivot, doctors said.
"Hamas will continue the resistance until the last drop of blood," spokesman Fawzi Barhoum was reported as saying.
Israel also stood firm, saying operations "will continue, will be expanded, and will deepen if necessary".
It is the worst attack in Gaza since 1967 in terms of the number of Palestinian casualties, a senior analyst told the BBC in Jerusalem.
International reaction was swift and expressed concern, with many world leaders calling for calm and an immediate ceasefire.
Rising toll
A White House spokesman said the United States "urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza".
"Hamas' continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop," the spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, added.
The UK Foreign Office said: "We urge maximum restraint to avoid further civilian casualties."
The French presidency of the EU meanwhile called for an immediate halt to the shooting by both sides.
Reports of the casualties in Gaza mounted swiftly after news broke of the Israeli operation, in which at least 30 missiles were fired by F-16 fighter bombers.
Images from the scenes of strikes showed dead and injured Palestinians, burning and destroyed buildings, and scenes of panic and chaos on Gaza's crowded streets.
Residents spoke of children heading to and from school at the time of the attacks, and there were fears of civilian casualties, although no detailed information was available from hospitals.
Israel hit targets across Gaza, striking in the territory's main population centres, including Gaza City in the north and the southern towns of Khan Younis and Rafah.
Egypt opened its border crossing to the Gaza Strip at Rafah to absorb and treat some of those injured in the south of the territory.
Most of the dead and injured were said to be in Gaza City, where Hamas's main security compound was destroyed. The head of Gaza's police forces, Tawfik Jaber, was reportedly among those killed.
Reuters news agency said at least 20 people were thought to have died in Khan Younis.
Hamas said all of its security compounds in Gaza were destroyed by the Israeli air strikes, which Israel said hit some 40 targets across the territory.
The air strikes are the most intense Israel has launched against Gaza for some time, and come amid rumours that a ground operation is imminent.
Israeli security officials have been briefing about the possibility of a new offensive into Gaza for some days now, says the BBC's Paul Wood, in Jerusalem.
But most reports centred on the possibility of a ground offensive, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was not expected to authorise any operation until Sunday at the earliest.
Although a six-month truce between Hamas and Israel was agreed earlier this year, it was regularly under strain and was allowed to lapse when it expired this month.
Hamas blamed Israel for the end of the ceasefire, saying it had not respected its terms, including the lifting of the blockade under which little more than humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza.
Israel said it initially began a staged easing of the blockade, but this was halted when Hamas failed to fulfil what Israel says were agreed conditions, including ending all rocket fire and halting weapons smuggling.
Israel says the blockade - in place since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007 - is needed to isolate Hamas and stop it and other militants from firing rockets across the border at Israeli towns.
Last edited by 'Abd-al Latif; 12-27-2008 at 02:13 PM.
Reason: Added Source
And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him.” [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Dâ' wad-Dawâ Fasl 49]
Israeli warplanes have launched a wave of air strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring scores of Palestinians.
Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, says 120 were killed and 400 people injured in the attacks on security compounds.
Israel said the strikes were in response to continued rocket fire by Palestinian militants against Israeli towns. (An obvious excuse by these bloody tyrants! May Allah humiliate them.).
The strikes, the most intense Israeli attacks on Gaza in recent times, come after the expiry of a truce with Hamas earlier this month.
Television pictures showed the wounded being rushed to hospital, while reports said the city's mortuaries were full.
A BBC reporter in Gaza says people are desperately seeking refuge, but he says there are no safe places.
And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him.” [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Dâ' wad-Dawâ Fasl 49]
The Israeli air raids left trail of death and destruction [Reuters]
Israel has launched air strikes on Hamas installations across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 155 people and causing heavy damage, according to officials and witnesses.
At least 30 missiles were fired at targets on Saturday, with the head of emergency services in Gaza saying that at least 200 people were also wounded.
Hours after the Israeli strikes Gaza fighters fired rockets into southern Israel, heeding to calls by Hamas and other affiliated Palestinian groups to avenge the attacks, unprecedented in their scale.
At least one Israeli was killed in the rocket fire, Israeli medics said.
Among those killed in Israel's massive offensive was Tawfiq Jabber, the Gaza police chief.
Islam Shahwan, a Hamas police spokesman, said the missiles hit a police graduation ceremony in Gaza City.
The Hamas-run interior ministry said all security compounds in Gaza have been destroyed.
'War crimes'
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and leader of Fatah, condemned the "aggression" in Gaza.
Mousa Abu Morzouz, the deputy leader of Hamas, told Al Jazeera: "Until now the aggression didn't stop ... they are targeting all the police headquarters and offices.
"We will defend out people, we will retaliate against this aggression ... our military will retaliate."
Marzouz called on the international community to condemn the attacks: "Nobody in this world can accept what happened and the Israeli aggression ... [we expect] the international community to stand agasint this and say that it is not acceptable."
Mustafa Barghauthi, former Palestinian information minister, said; "This is not an attack on the Hamas. Its an attack on the whole population and the free will of the people of Gaza."
He accused Israel of committing "war crimes" and demanded that Abbas and his government stop all relations with Israel.
'Only just beginning'
The Israel army released a statement saying "terrorist installations" were hit and that all Israeli pilots returned unharmed.
Palestinian officials called on the international community to condemn the raids [AFP]
The operation against the Hamas is "only just beginning," Avi Benayahu, an Israeli military spokesman said.
The air raids follow the decision by the Israeli security cabinet to increase reprisals for cross-border rocket attacks against Israel, and the breakdown of a six-month-old Israel-Hamas truce earlier this month.
Hamas ended the ceasefire saying that Israel had violated the truce the truce by preventing vital food and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip.
Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza, said: "A series of explosions were heard over Gaza City.
"From where we are there are at least seven different clouds of smoke from the strikes.
"We are seeing some casualties being evacuated in cars."
Egypt has opened the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip to receive injured people, Egyptian officials said. Ambulances have been dispatched to the crossing and two Egyptian hospitals emptied to take casualties.
Mohyeldin said that Hamas, who rule the Gaza Strip, was being held responsible by Israel for any attacks from the territory into Israel, even if they are undertaken by other Palestinian factions.
Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem, said that Israel's decision to strike at this moment was down to Hamas withdrawing from the ceasefire and the intensified rocket fire coming from the Gaza Strip in recent days.
"In one day [in the past week] we saw 80 rockets ... which is a huge upsurge," she said.
Source:Al Jazeera and agencies
And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him.” [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Dâ' wad-Dawâ Fasl 49]
And whys that? I fail to see why an illegal occupation of 60 years and running is the fault of those who are fighting to regain their country.
Look into history, Palistine (now Israel) legally belongs to the Muslims. Its funny how the opressors can forget their opression, yet the opressed can never forget the opression they suffered at the hands of tyrants.
And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him.” [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Dâ' wad-Dawâ Fasl 49]
And whys that? I fail to see why an illegal occupation of 60 years and running is the fault of those who are fighting to regain their country.
Look into history, Palistine (now Israel) legally belongs to the Muslims. Its funny how the opressors can forget their opression, yet the opressed can never forget the opression they suffered at the hands of tyrants.
They're firing Russian rockets, how is that gonna achieve anything but Israeli retaliation?
I'm not a law expert so I wouldn't know to whom it legally belongs.
They're firing Russian rockets, how is that gonna achieve anything but Israeli retaliation?
I'm not a law expert so I wouldn't know to whom it legally belongs.
Either way Israel is always made to seem like they are the ones under attack. Why in the world is someone gonig to blindly fire rockets when the minority are the ones who are in need of cease-fire rather then Israel.
Obviously, Israel - the big guys - are made to seem as the victim.
And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him.” [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Dâ' wad-Dawâ Fasl 49]
Israel was under attack and it fought back. They targeted Hamas. It's not Israels fault Hamas put their bases inside civilian areas.
Palis are the victims, no doubt about that. But the means they're using to fight Israel make them loose credibility.
Take a look at Tibet. 50 years of low tone non-violent resistance and almost the entire international community supports them.
Israel was under attack and it fought back. They targeted Hamas. It's not Israels fault Hamas put their bases inside civilian areas.
Palis are the victims, no doubt about that. But the means they're using to fight Israel make them loose credibility.
Take a look at Tibet. 50 years of low tone non-violent resistance and almost the entire international community supports them.
Then obviously there is more to what meets the eye.
Do you really believe an over-croweded and diminishing Gaza Strip and West Bank are going to be the first to attack a people who are backed by the west in terms of political support, weapons and men?
The scores of Palistinians that die through Israeli oppression are almost unknown by the masses and even if they are known, the media quickly points to the finger at the opressed. A prime example is a couple of years back when Israeli soldiers fired at a family killing them in Gaza and the only one survivor was a young girl who looked around 9 years old, screaming in horror at seeing the dead bodies of her parents, and yet the world made a big deal when Lebenon ceazed two Israeli soldiers who crossed their borders! And still who did Israel attack? Not the Lebenese soldiers because they didn't even have an encounter, they attacked the Capital of Lebenon killing woman and children, and it took over a month for the western countries to respond! They used the capture of their soldiers as a justified reason to massacre 1000's of woman and children through war planes, which meant there was no shelter for them because bombs were being dropped on their heads! Is this justice??
Apparently the blood of a single israeli is more precious then millions of Palistinains civilians - in particular woman and children - that die by Israeli war planes. And those who oppose these tyrants are called 'Terrorist Groups'!
Sit back and took a look at all the news channels have to say, and then ask yourself one question; Do you have a legal excuse to fight? And if you do, then are you going to fight a defencive battle or offencive one?
Last edited by 'Abd-al Latif; 12-27-2008 at 03:50 PM.
And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him.” [Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Dâ' wad-Dawâ Fasl 49]
Sit back and took a look at all the news channels have to say, and then ask yourself one question; Do you have a legal excuse to fight? And if you do, then are you going to fight a defencive battle or offencive one?
Both Israel and Palestine have the right to fight. The only difference is that Israel knows what its doing and Palis don't.
On one hand Palis seem to want the international community to help them and sympathize with them yet at the same time they are fighting a war that they know the west doesn't support, targeting civilians, firing rockets etc.
I don't know what to make of this.
Again, here is the problem. Israel is not attacking missile launchers. It is attacking the civil infrastructure of a government elected by the Palestinian people. The selection of targets is what gives away that the real agenda is to wreck Gaza rather than to stop the Qassams.
If Israel really wanted the Qassams to stop, they would give the Gazan police the equipment and supplies to hunt down the people shooting the rockets. Instead the Israelis are doing everything they can to make sure the Gazan police are unable to do anything at all. One has to wonder why that is?
The war in Gaza – a vicious folly of a bankrupt government
GUSH SHALOM
Bloodshed and suffering on both sides of the border could have been avoided
It is possible to return immediately to the ceasefire, make it stronger and firmer
The war in Gaza, the bloodshed, killing, destruction and suffering on both sides of the border are the vicious folly of a bankrupt government. A government which let itself be dragged by adventurous officers and cheap nationalist demagoguery, dragged into a destructive and unnecessary war which will bring no solution to any problem – neither to the communities of southern Israel under the rain of missiles nor to the terrible poverty and suffering of besieged Gaza. On the day after the war the same problems will remain – with the addition of many bereaved families, wounded people crippled for life, and piles of rubble and destruction.
The escalation towards war could and should have been avoided. It was the State of Israel which broke the truce, in the 'ticking tunnel' raid on the night of the US elections two months ago. Since then the army went on stoking the fires of escalation with calculated raids and killings, whenever the shooting of missiles on Israel decreased.
The cycle of bloodshed could and should be broken. The ceasefire can be restored immediately, and on firmer foundations. It is the right of Israel to demand a complete end to shooting on its territory and citizens – but it must stop all attacks from its side, end completely the siege and starvation of Gaza's million and half inhabitants, and stop interfering with the Palestinians' right to choose their own leaders.
Ehud Barak's declaration that he is stopping the elections campaign in order to concentrate on the Gaza offensive is a joke. The war in Gaza is itself Barak's elections campaign, a cynical attempt to buy votes with the blood and suffering in Netivot and Sderot, Gaza and Beit Hanun. Also so-called peace seekers such as Amos Oz s who give this offensive their support and encouragement could not afterwards shrug off responsibility.
I've been at school all day, only just heard about this now.
Here's an excerpt from one article I've read.
(discussing today's incidents, how hamas was firing rockets at southern israel, how israel retaliated)http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...red-again.html
And then:
"However, they failed to stop all the retaliation. Late in the morning, an Israeli man was killed by a rocket in the Israeli town of Netivot. He was the first Israeli to die as a result of Palestinian rocket attacks since June."
So, let me get this straight. Palestinians shoot horrible dangerous rockets at israel many many times, and yet never manage to kill anyone (whether people are wounded or not, I don't know). In response to this, Israel blows up the town, killing 150 people (as of this moment), with a "kill 'em all and maybe apologize later for the several civilians who may be wounded.. after all, like 95% of the people we're targeting are terrorists, right?" motto.
"The United States said Israel should avoid civilian casualties"
Aww, how sweet of them, that would be just fabulous.:enough!:
"Israel, which put communities around Gaza on a state of alert, warned that the deadly strikes were "just the beginning," said an army spokesman.
"The operation will continue and will be expanded as necessary in accordance with the assessments of the army and the defence establishment," Defence Minister Ehud Barak's office said.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the Israeli onslaught was launched "following... the incessant attacks on Israeli citizens in the south of the country ..." in order to "bring the rocket fire to an end.""
Well yes, I'm sure once the population of palestinians dwindles down to a few thousand, there will be much less rocket fire.. At the rate they're being killed now, it won't be too long either, how awesome is that?!!
"Hamas is sworn to destruction of the Jewish state and has warned that it would retaliate to a major Israeli operation in Gaza by resuming suicide bombings inside Israel. The last such attack claimed by Hamas was in January 2005. "
Hey, if that happens, and Israeli civilians are killed, it only means that "Israel had it comin' ..", and it would be very "Disgraceful, tragic, sad but (unfortunately) inevitable!", right? So it's not Palestinians that are to blame, but Israelis themselves?!
" A passing brief enjoyment (will be theirs), but they will have a painful torment."^^
"The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress men and rebel in the earth without justification; for such there will be a painful torment." ^^
[169] Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allâh as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision[170] They rejoice in what Allâh has bestowed upon them of His Bounty and rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind (not yet martyred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve.[171] They rejoice in a Grace and a Bounty from Allâh, and that Allâh will not waste the reward of the believers."
"The United States said Israel should avoid civilian casualties"
Aww, how sweet of them, that would be just fabulous.:enough!:
"Israel, which put communities around Gaza on a state of alert, warned that the deadly strikes were "just the beginning," said an army spokesman.
"The operation will continue and will be expanded as necessary in accordance with the assessments of the army and the defence establishment," Defence Minister Ehud Barak's office said.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said the Israeli onslaught was launched "following... the incessant attacks on Israeli citizens in the south of the country ..." in order to "bring the rocket fire to an end.""
Well yes, I'm sure once the population of palestinians dwindles down to a few thousand, there will be much less rocket fire.. At the rate they're being killed now, it won't be too long either, how awesome is that?!!
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