Israeli forces move into Gaza

By Charlie

JERUSALEM: Israeli troops accompanied by about a dozen tanks moved into southern Gaza on Tuesday, a day before Israelis and Palestinians were due to hold their first talks on a comprehensive peace following the American-led conference in Annapolis, Maryland. The Israelis went as far as two miles into Hamas-run Gaza, near the towns of Khan Yunis and Rafah, and engaged Palestinian gunmen along the border, according to Palestinian residents and spokesmen for the Israeli Army.
At least six Palestinians were killed. Three of them, from Islamic Jihad, died when a tank shell struck the house they were using for cover; three more, from the Popular Resistance Committees, died from missiles fired by Israeli planes and helicopters.

This hasn’t gotten too much play from the news cycle, and I’m not sure why. An incursion against Hamas is every bit as relevant as the incursion against Hezbollah, although no airports are being bombed this time around…so far.

The objectives of the Israelis is either creating a buffer zone between the Gaza strip and Israel to decrease indirect fire attacks into Israel, or to seek out and dismantle Hamas infrastructure. Or both. More on tactics:

Twelve Palestinians were wounded, local medics said, three of them critically and five seriously. Four Israeli soldiers were "very lightly injured," an Israeli Army spokesman said, when their Merkava tank was hit by an antitank missile. The soldiers were evacuated and the tank was set on fire, but the Israeli Army said it would continue to operate.
Other antitank missiles were fired but they missed, the army said. A squad of gunmen approaching the Israelis was hit from the air, the spokesman said.

Interesting. It seems that Hamas has not quite mastered the anti-armor ambush, or their anti-armor systems are not quite up to Hezbollah standards.

December 12, 2007 05:32 AM Strategery