Israel continued with its air strikes today, killing 3 terrorists in two such strikes.
In the first attack, Israel launched an air strike in Gaza City at a group of gunmen with an anti-tank missile, killing a Hamashole. Shortly thereafter, terrorists fired two Kassams toward Israel, the rockets landing in open areas near Sderot. They also planned on firing anti-tank missiles towards the IDF.
In a second attack, Israel killed 2 Islamic Jihad terrorists on their way to carry out an attack on Israeli targets.
In another air strike, the IAF have reportedly inadvertently killed 3-4 palestinian children. (4 according to Jerusalem Post, 3 according to Ynetnews, and currently no mention of this in Ha’aretz). According to the Post, the IAF targeted a group of terrorists who had just launched a rocket into Israel. Unfortunately, the IAF missile inadvertently hit a soccer field where the children were playing, and the terrorists remained unscathed. Assuming that children were killed (the discrepancies in the numbers and the lack of mention from Ha’aretz is curious), there will undoubtedly be condemnation from the usual suspects, instead of them asking the question: what on Earth are terrorists doing launching rockets at a democratic country, and doing so right near children on a soccer field?
In other news, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert dispelled reports of a deal with Hamas. He indicated that he would not negotiate with them, and that a prisoner exchange – as demanded by Hamas – would be a “major mistake.” Meanwhile, Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal insisted that captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit would be kept alive and treated as a prisoner of war. I’m glad someone acknowledges that this is a war. I just wish our government would come to its senses and treat it as such.
Finally, an investigation into the incident which resulted in Gilad’s capture and the deaths of two of his comrades, today established that the incident was an operational failure for the IDF, but concluded that preventative steps taken prior to the attack were reasonable and no disciplinary moves should be made against the chain of command.
Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)
11:18PM: Palestinian terror groups have claimed that they successfully launched a Kassam from Jenin toward the community of Ram-On in northern Israel. The IDF reject this claim.
10:40PM: Now Ha’aretz are reporting that 3 teenagers were killed on the soccer field. Ynet originally reported that they were children as young as six, but have now updated the story.
10:00PM: Mahmoud Abbas’ Al Aqsa Brigades have announced that they are an equal opportunity employer: they have recruited women for suicide attacks against Israel.
Of course, we should expect such great social strides from a group whose leader is modern enough to wear a suit and tie, rather than a ski mask or safari suit.
Here’s more:
A woman who identified herself as Um al-Abed told reporters in Gaza City that so far about 100 women had expressed their desire to carry out suicide attacks against Israel. She claimed that she was a spokeswoman for the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah.
The Aksa Martyrs Brigades, she added, recently established a secret military unit for female suicide bombers from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem. “We have so far recruited 100 women for the new unit,” Um al-Abed said as she sat next to several masked women who identified themselves as members of Fatah.
“We are expecting more female suicide bombers. The new unit is now preparing to launch attacks against Israel in response to the Israeli aggression and crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip.”
Must have been quite a recruitment campaign to get these women to join. Recruiting men is relatively easy: just promise them unlimited sex with 72 virigins in the hereafter. But what do you promise the women? There could not possibly be 72 virgin men, since the men are too busy with the virgins. And if you say these women are the virgins, then being one of 72 with one man is something to look forward to? Besides, what happens if the woman suicide bomber is not a virgin? Ugh, I give up.
