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Things are tense in Israel:
Palestinians reports IDF ground movements in southern Gaza; planes and helicopters circle overhead. Following situational analysis in upper echelons, Peretz proclaims: The clock is ticking. IDF is prepared and willing to act.Palestinian sources reported that an IAF fighter jet fired two missiles on a bridge in the center of the Gaza Strip. There are no reports of injuries. The IDF confirmed the report.
Palestinian sources in southern Gaza reported Tuesday night that they identified IDF movements in the direction of Palestinian territory. Most of the movement is in the area of Sufa crossing. IDF planes and helicopters are flying over northern Gaza.
News of another kidnapped young man isn’t exactly working to defuse this situation:
Arab sources in the PA said last night, and again today, that they had kidnapped another Israeli. Eliyahu Asheri, 18, of Itamar, has not been seen since he left Beitar Illit on Sunday.
The army denies that a ground incursion is underway:
In addition, IDF tanks were amassing around Gaza, and were awaiting orders to begin a ground incursion into the strip. However, the the army denied an Israel Radio report that the armored forces had actually begun a ground incursion into the strip.
Olmert says Israeli troops will have a central goal, freeing Gilad, but Hamas leaders are targets:
As IDF troops continued to gather along the Gaza border, Olmert said that any future IDF operation will target terror groups, not innocent civilians. “The action won’t be intended to harm the civilian population, but to carry out the central goal – to bring our son Gilad back home,” the prime minister said.Meanwhile, the government said it would target top Hamas leaders if Shalit was not freed. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas gave a similar warning to Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Monday night.
The IDF is looking into unconfirmed reports that Eliyahu Asheri’s body has been found in Ramallah.
More from Olmert on a possible “extended campaign“:
Israeli troops and tanks have massed along the Gaza border, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday threatened an “extended campaign” against Palestinian leaders unless a kidnapped soldier is released.“All targets” would be considered for possible action, Olmert told Israel’s parliament, the day after ruling out any deals with militants for the return of 19-year-old Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
“We would not make compromises with terror. We would not hold negotiation with [terror],” Olmert told the Knesset amid the escalating crisis.
“No terrorist would be immune.”
Reuters is reporting another strike:
Israeli helicopter gunships fired at least two missile into a Palestinian power plant in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday, cutting electrical supplies to large areas of the coastal territory, witnesses said.
It certainly looks like a rescue operation may be in the works and CNN broadcast is now reporting that the IDF is moving to retrieve the captured soldier.
Reuters has confirmed that the IDF is rolling. They’re also reporting that Palestinian security forces have left the Gaza airport after an Israeli warning
Via Ha’aretz:
IDF official: PM Olmert approves `limited operation` in Gaza
I’d guess that Hamas has a very narrow window of opportunity, probably just a few hours, in which they can return Gilad unharmed and spare themselves a lot of pain.
More on the scale of the operation:
Israel Defense Forces tanks rolled into the southern Gaza Strip near Kerem Shalom before dawn on Wednesday, Palestinian sources said. The IDF intends to gain control of all open areas in the Strip east of the southern town of Rafah.
This could turn really really ugly:
A spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees said the group would kill kidnapped settler teenager Eliyahu Asheri if IDF forces do not pull out of Gaza.
On a positive note that may mean that Eliyahu is still alive.
It looks like I was right about the Palestinian’s shrinking window of opportunity:
“It will be a few hours yet until we know it is hopeless,” one mediator told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
A few hours probably means dawn. Of course if they kill Eliyahu or Gilad all hell is going to break loose.
The Counterterrorism Blog floats another theory:
One theory proposed to me by regional experts is that the capture was an intentional step engineered out of Hamas HQ in Damascus to sabotage any Hamas-Fatah prisoner swap and ratchet up tensions. It will be interesting to see what Abbas and Fatah do in reaction to the Israeli operations.
More threats:
A spokesman for the Izz el-Din el-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, said if Israel attacks, IDF solider Gilad Shalit may be killed, adding that the soldier may be held in any house in Gaza.
Meryl Yourish is worried:
I think that this is going to end badly for Cpl. Shalit. I don’t believe the terrorists will simply give him back, and Olmert appears to be standing fast on his refusal to negotiate for his release.
And Kim Priestap takes a shot at Carter:
Does Jimmy Carter still think we should give Hamas the chance to moderate?
Probably.
Islamic Jihad issues more threats:
A spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, said his organization, as well as other Palestinian groups, are preparing “surprises for the Zionist enemy in Gaza.”The spokesman, Abu Ahmed, said “we also promise to respond to the Gaza offensive with suicide bombing attacks within the Green Line. Operation “Summer Rains” will fail, and our warriors will deal painful blows on the invaders.”
The IAF is messing with their heads:
Before daybreak, Israeli warplanes flew low over Gaza city, causing sonic booms and breaking windows.
Major Israeli websites are being hacked:
More than 750 Israeli websites hacked in recent hours. Among them: Soldier’s Treasury Bank, Rambam Hospital, and Globus Group ticket center. Hackers: You’re killing Palestinians, we’re killing servers
It looks like Israel is tying the operation’s timetable to Gilad’s status:
The government has not set a timetable for the operation, but officials said it may end immediately – depending on whether Shalit will be released or not.“The offensive’s goals are the release of the kidnapped soldier and the prevention of Qassam fire on Sderot and the western Negev,” one official said.
The IAF has attacked a Hamas base:
Witnesses said the target was a training camp used by militants from the governing Islamic movement Hamas in Morag, a former Israeli settlement.
I expect Israeli attacks to escalate as hours pass without Gilad’s release.
This is interesting:
Palestinian sources say that a large IDF force has entered Ramallah, and is surrounding a home in the city. It is unclear whether the operation is linked to the kidnapping of a settler, or whether the force is surrounding a wanted Palestinian suspect.
Hamas wants a prisoner swap:
In a statement, the Information Ministry said it is “natural logic” to carry out an exchange. “This has been exercised by previous Israeli governments with Hezbollah and the PLO, and this is what other countries do in conflict situations,” the statement said.
I’d expect Israel to reject the offer and crank up the pressure.
Wretchard finds the unfolding events fascinating:
It’s fascinating to watch this process unfold, which is neither war, which Halkin understands, nor “peace” as pacifists would understand it. So perhaps the “fence” isn’t the national border as we would like to imagine it as either, but a kind of village palisade. Maybe the best end state we can hope for is a kind of chronic, but fairly low level violence of the sort that tribes which sporadically raided each other once understood.
That’s certainly what we have right now but with terrorism evolving and growing more dangerous we’ll eventually see an incident that will change the nature of the conflict significantly.
Moshe at Israel and the Sin of Expulsion writes:
As a point of information only; This blog adamantly refuses to give it’s valuable space to reports such as; “Militants demand women, children in Israeli jails released in return for information on soldier” or PM: No Prisoner Swap Talks, Gaza Sealed Off, or PM Olmert: We Know Who is Holding Shalit …The reasoning is; we MUST put a permanent end to embarrassment, humiliation and persecution of Jews. Further, this blog will attempt to refrain from dignifying Ehud Olmert’s shallow, phony indignance and blusterous remarks such as “PM: No Prisoner Swap Talks”. For in the end, dimes to dollars they’ll beg to swap anyone for Shalit rather than going out and doing something big, like kidnapping say, Haniyeh or Abbas himself and holding them for a ransom — not just Gilad Shalit, but Ron Arad and the other MIAs and throw in Jonathan Pollard too.
IsraellyCool has a message for Abbas:
As mentioned clearly by the Israeli government, the purpose is clear: release our boy. Show us you are a true peace partner. Show us you are actually able to be in control. Otherwise, why are we even bothering with you?
Speaking of cranking up the pressure:
Israeli warplanes flew over the home of Syrian President Bashar Assad, officials said Wednesday, in a message aimed at pressuring him to win the release of a captured Israeli soldier.The officials said four warplanes flew over a residence belonging to Assad in the Mediterranean port city of Latakia in northwestern Syria. Israeli television reports said Assad was home at the time.
The CIA’s map highlights Latakia.
Sad, but not unexpected, news about Eliyahu:
An unconfirmed report from the Popular Resistance Committees said early Thursday that it executed 18-year-old Eliyahu Asheri, an Israeli settler kidnapped earlier in the week in the West Bank.…A spokesman for the group told Al-Jazeera that Asheri, 18, would be “butchered in front of TV cameras” if the IDF operation in Gaza did not stop. “Our patience is running out,” he said.
“I am announcing for the first time that the kidnapped Zionist Israel is searching for is the same settler who is being held by us. He is aged 181?2… and is a soldier in a pre-military academy,” said the spokesman, who identified himself as Abu Abir.
I hope Israel makes them pay dearly. It looks like the IDF has recovered his body.
The Palestinian labour minister has been arrested by the IDF. They have even more:
Palestinian sources said IDF forces operating in Jenin have apprehended to parliament members and six senior Hamas, some of them also parliament members.
Future updates will continue as individual posts.
Also Blogging:
Michelle Malkin
Euphoric Reality
Israpundit
Morning Coffee
Vital Perspective
Hyscience
Hot Air
Captain’s Quarters
Pajamas Media
Sister Toldja
Related:
Gilad Shalit Kidnapping: Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Hanniyeh Threatened with Assassination?
Israeli Military:
Israel Defense Forces
Israeli Air Force
Israeli Media:
Jerusalem Post
Arutz Sheva
Ha’aretz
YnetNews
Palestinian News and Government:
Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian Information Center
14 Responses
Readers are solely responsible for the comments they post. Comments do not necessarily reflect the opinion or approval of Blogs of War or John Little.
June 27th, 2006 at 9:28 pm
GAZA: STRIKING BACK
Bridge attacked. Vital Perspective is live-blogging. John Little at Blogs of War also has live coverage….
June 27th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
The Zionist butchers have been slaughtering Palestian civillians ever since this vile state was established through Zionist terrorism. So what is new!
The question is, when did America become the United States of Israel with our foreign policy dictated out of Tel Aviv?
I’m an American, and I have NO INTEREST in supporting ethnic cleansing on behalf of Jews who want to work out the holocast by acting like Nazis.
Get you hand out of my pocket and off my wallet, King George!!
June 27th, 2006 at 9:58 pm
Breaking News: Israel Attacks Bridge in Gaza
SCROLL FOR UPDATES***
This just in:
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli planes attacked a bridge in northern Gaza late Tuesday, Israel Radio reported, and Israeli tanks were said to be on the move, possibly signaling the start of a military operation.
P…
June 27th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Bob – so nice to know that you support the ethnic cleansing of Jews.
The Palestians ‘leaders’ are murderers, they seek to ‘wipe Israel and all Jews off the map’. Palestians do not want peace.
Israel is taking the correct action to protect its people from these terrorists.
I hope that Israel does not listen to the appeasers from Europe, and removes the Hamas leadership.
June 27th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
Israeli Operations in Gaza may have begun…
Fox News is reporting that Israeli air and ground operations have begun in Gaza. Perhaps this is the begining of the end of the Hamas led Palestinian government.
GAZA (Reuters) – An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a bridge in the central Gaza Strip…
June 27th, 2006 at 11:35 pm
IDF Crossing Into Gasa (Updated)
Israeli planes have attacked a bridge inside Gaza, and ground troops and tanks are on the move.
June 27th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
What, Iraq and Afghanistan ain’t enough for you? Isn’t there a football game or something you guys can watch?
June 28th, 2006 at 12:36 am
WAR?
Israel is going in to Gaza in a multi-pronged attack to get back kidnapped teenager, Eliyahu Asheri and IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit.
Blogging – Blogs of War, Capatain’s Quaters, Counter Terrorism Blog.
June 28th, 2006 at 3:18 am
Israel launches attacks across Gaza
Israeli troops entered southern Gaza and planes attacked two bridges and a power station, knocking o
June 28th, 2006 at 4:45 am
Is it possible those sonic booms are intended for Cpl Shalit?
June 28th, 2006 at 11:48 am
IDF rules, always has, always will
June 28th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
Links to Terror
Links to stories on the War on Terror. Updated randomly.
Blogs of War: Operation Summer Rains: Palestinians Report IAF Air Strike – IDF Ground Movement
There’s a ridiculous number of links over there. More from Free Thoughts
Gateway Pundit: Ameri…
June 28th, 2006 at 5:02 pm
Gaza Strike Continues
As Israel’s military incursion into Gaza continues today, the Hamas-led Palestinian government has thrown its support behind the terrorists’ demand for a prisoner swap with Israel. According to a statement issued by the Palestinian Information Minist…
June 29th, 2006 at 1:48 am
Israel Flies over Syrian President’s Home
*UPDATES* Israel Arrests Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister
Very Sad to report Breaking News Via Breitbart Palestinian Group Says Israeli Executed
A Palestinian militant group said early Thursday it executed an 18- year-old Israeli settler kidnapped…