[Al Ahram] Israel launched its largest offensive in the Gazoo Strip in nearly two years, carrying out a blistering aerial assault Tuesday on scores of targets and killing 27 people in what officials called an open-ended operation aimed at ending weeks of heavy rocket fire. As Gazoo forces of Evil unleashed salvos on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel mobilized forces along the border for a possible ground invasion. The offensive set off the heaviest fighting between Israel and the Islamic group Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, since an eight-day battle in November 2012. Hamas members fired about 160 rockets at Israel, including two intercepted over Tel Aviv, while Israel said it attacked more than 150 sites across Gazoo.
Paleostinian medics reported at least 27 dead, including six killed in an
In a nationally televised statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said continued rocket attacks on Israeli communities would not be tolerated.
"Therefore I have ordered the military to significantly broaden its operation against Hamas Lions of Islam and against the other terrorist groups inside Gazoo," he said. "I call on you to display patience because this operation could take time."
Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies that have engaged in numerous rounds of fighting over the years. But until recently, they had been observing a truce that ended the previous hostilities in 2012.
Tensions have been rising since Paleostinian forces of Evil kidnapped three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank on June 12. Accusing Hamas of being behind the abductions, Israel launched a crackdown on the group's members in the West Bank and tossed in the slammerBook 'im, Mahmoud!
hundreds of people. Hamas, which controls Gazoo, responded by stepping up rocket fire.
The situation deteriorated last week after the bodies of the Israeli youths were found, and a Paleostinian teenager in Jerusalem was kidnapped and burned to death in what Paleostinians believe was a Dire Revengeâ„¢ attack. Six Jewish Israelis have been arrested in the killing, and the rocket fire from Gazoo has increased in recent days.
The fighting raged throughout the day. In its fiercest attack, an
Panicked residents fled, screaming "God is great." Some had bloody faces, and crying mothers held small children as they bravely ran away. Screaming Paleostinians took away motionless bodies. Paleostinian medical officials said six people, including two children, were killed.
| How many of them had deliberately put themselves in the line of fire as human shields? |
In southern Israel, hundreds of thousands of citizens were ordered to stay close to home because of the rockets. Israeli streets were also quieter in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem after attempted rocket strikes set off air-raid sirens in Israel's two largest cities. The Jerusalem municipality said it was opening special bomb shelters.
Hamas members twice fired rockets at Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial capital, sending people scurrying for cover. Both projectiles were intercepted by the "Iron Dome" rocket defense system. The second interception was shown on live TV, as a winding plume of smoke followed the interceptor into the black skies, culminating with a flash. Late Tuesday, Hamas said it fired a salvo of four rockets toward Jerusalem, and two distant booms could be heard from the city's center. One rocket landed in the Jerusalem area, officials said, and police said there were no injuries.
The army was also checking reports that rockets had flown north of Tel Aviv — which would mark the deepest strikes every carried out by Hamas.
In other violence, the Israeli military said it foiled an attempt by Gazoo forces of Evil to infiltrate a military base in southern Israel by sea. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military front man, said four attackers made it to shore and attacked the base with grenades and automatic rifles before they were killed. An Israeli soldier was slightly maimed.
As Israel built up forces along the border, the government authorized the army to activate up to 40,000 reservists. The army said that about 1,000 soldiers were immediately activated, in addition to an earlier group of 1,500 reservists called into action.
"If we need to go inside in a ground operation, then we will do it. These things are on the table. These options exist. We will not stop anything until the rocket firing ends," said Yitzhak Aharonovitch, the minister for internal security and a member of Netanyahu's inner Security Cabinet. Israel's last ground offensive was in 2009.
Asked by Channel 2 TV if there were any efforts underway to reach a cease-fire, he said: "Not now."
The U.S. State Department condemned the rocket fire on Israeli civilians, defended Israel's right to defend itself, and said it hoped Israel's "strong message" would deter further attacks. "But certainly, our preference is to de-escalate the situation on the ground," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.