GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A column of Israeli tanks, some firing their weapons, rolled into the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, a Palestinian witness said, in what appeared to be the beginning of a ground offensive against Islamist Hamas.
The Israeli military confirmed that a force had entered the Gaza Strip to seize some areas used to launch rockets.
The witness, a resident of the Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, said the column crossed the boundary fence under cover of darkness, accompanied by Israeli combat helicopters.
The witness could not immediately say how deep the Israelis had penetrated into Palestinian territory.
Israeli tanks and soldiers had been poised on the Gaza Strip border preparing for a possible ground offensive, as militants kept up rocket strikes on southern Israel in defiance of international calls for it to halt such attacks.
“I hope the results of this operation will bring about quiet in the long term. The moment they fire, we will respond with great force,” Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Israeli TV.
“It could be that several operations will be needed.”
Witnesses said an air strike on a mosque in the town of Beit Lahiya took place as people prayed inside. At least 11 civilians, including children, were killed and 50 wounded, Hamas and medical officials said.
Rescuers pulled people from the debris and the bodies of victims lay in pools of blood, the witnesses said.
Israel has targeted mosques before saying that Hamas had used them as command posts and fire bases.
The raid brought the Palestinian death toll to at least 446, with about 2,050 wounded, in the worst sustained bloodshed in decades of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Four Israelis have also been killed in cross-border rocket attacks by Hamas and other militant groups.
Israel launched artillery fire on Gaza for the first time in an offensive that was entering its second week.
Israeli air strikes targeted Gaza from early morning on Saturday and naval vessels also shelled the area from the Mediterranean, witnesses said.
One strike killed Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, a senior commander of Hamas's armed wing, Hamas said. He was the second Hamas leader killed in three days.
Israel launched the campaign, called Operation Cast Lead, on Dec. 27 saying it wanted to stop Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel.
Summary:
The Gaza strip is a is an area where they were launching missiles towards Southern Isreal. The Israeli army had to do something about this. They decided to try to take it over during the night time with tanks, troops, and and combat helicopters. This whole attack was witnessed by a palestinian civilian. 11 civilians including children were killed from an air raid and 50 were wounded. People were rescued from the debrie of the raid.
Questions:
1. How does this relate to what we have studied in history so far?
2. Do you think it was necessary for the Israeli military to raid the Gaza Strip?
3. Do you think that this could possibly rase up a new war in Israel?
Saturday, January 3, 2009
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