There hasn’t been much news since the tanks rolled in. As usual, the terrorists won’t put up much of a fight when it comes to having to fight, you know, actual soldiers—from the front, not the rear (which is how they took out the IDF post two days ago).
An IDF spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post that there was little Palestinian resistance to the incursion. He denied a report claiming that the Erez crossing had been opened in preparation for entry of troops into the northern Gaza Strip.
The PRC says if the IDF operation doesn’t stop, they’ll kill Eliyahu Asheri, the 18-year-old missing from Itamar, who the IDF thinks was kidnapped. There’s no proof the PRC has him, but it’s possible. And there’s no chance in hell the operation will stop due to this threat.
From Ynet news flashes:
PIJ says the IDF is going to find “many surprises” waiting for them in Gaza. They’re also threatening suicide attacks. Once again, the model is: We get to kill Israelis, but the second you try to stop us, we’re going to kill more Israelis and blame it on you. Watch for the news media to pick up this mantra and run with it, as always.
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. says the operation will stop if Cpl. Shalit is released. Nice try, Danny, but a waste of breath.
Hamas spokesman says Cpl. Shalit may be killed because of the IDF operation. Gee, what a shock to hear that.
The IDF has control of the Gaza airport, even though it hasn’t been operational in years. Yeah, I seem to recall it being destroyed in the spring offensive in 2002, after the daily suicide bombings that culminated in the Netanya Passover Massacre.
Pictures from the BBC, courtesy of AFP, which I think means “Assholes in the French Press.” Whoops. Did I type that out loud?
Ha’aretz says the operation’s aim is to surround the kidnappers. Ha’aretz also says that Cpl. Gilad is being held in Khan Yunis. They also say he may be moved to Jabalya. That would mean any rescue operation will involve having to move through civilians. Lovely.
And last, but not least, let’s start a count. How many different news services will be using the words “humanitarian crisis” to describe the results of the operation in Gaza? First up: The AP.
The attack raised the specter of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as water pumps in the strip are powered by electricity. Some power in Gaza City was restored by tapping into electricity supplied by Israel in northern Gaza.
I love how they point out that the power outage may cause a humanitarian crisis in one sentence, and in the very next, say that power is being restored. This must be kinda like Saddam Hussein’s “hunger strike,” where he, ah, missed lunch.