Operation Cast Lead Mon Jan 19th, 2009

For other liveblogging, see The Muqata

If you don’t count the 20+ rockets and mortar shells that were fired into Israel yesterday, the ceasefire is holding. But given its fragility, methinks it wise to keep up the liveblogging for now.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

Click Refresh to show latest updates.

Tuesday Jan 20th -for latest updates, see here.

10:30PM: That’s it from me for today.

As usual, please keep the brave soldiers and citizens of Israel in your prayers.

And if you have appreciated my blogging and would like to contribute, please donate here:

I would also ask you to tell 5 of your friends about Israellycool.

Aussie Dave, signing out.

10:25PM: And now a firebomb has been hurled at an Israeli car near Bethlehem.

9:43PM: Yesterday (9:45PM update) I reported that a medical examination revealed that the daughters of Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish may have been killed by a Grad or Qassam rocket. Now it is being reported that Dr. al-Aish is angry that the medical examination took place without his permission. Hmm…

9:30PM: BREAKING NEWS: An Israeli near Kochav Hashachar is seriously injured after a drive-by shooting. Details to follow.

9:20PM: This is allegedly footage of Alarabiya TV Reporter Hannan al-Masri reacting after being told live on air that Hamas fired a missile from the ground floor of the building housing the Alarabiya Studio. Call me astute, but she doesn’t exactly seem distressed or overly concerned by the news (hat tip: Mere Rhetoric).

Can any Arabic speaking readers verify whether this is indeed what is going on?

9:15PM: According to the IDF, Head Hamashole Ismail Haniyeh has ordered his terrorists to harm IDF soldiers in Gaza despite the ceasefire.

9:10PM: You’ll find some pretty spectacular pictures from the war over here.

9:05PM: From the IDF Spokesperson:

idf-map

idf-map2

Hamas exploits the civilians of the Gaza strip as human sheilds. Here are two aerial photographs which illustrate how Hamas deploys rocket launchers within densley populated areas in the Gaza strip, next to schools, mosques and medical facilities. Residential buildings are used as arms depots and rigged with explosive charges, without any consideration given to potential civilian casualties.

  • White stars in red circles – rocket/mortar launchers
  • Yellow lines – civilian buildings
  • Red lines – Hamas installations
  • Red triangles – bunkers
  • Yellow triangles – hidden positions
  • Blue triangles – rigged explosives
  • Grey triangles -tunnels
  • Purple triangles – obstacles

8:22PM: I knew the Hamas declaration of victory reminded me of something, and thanks to DaTechguy and Brian of London, I now know what it was.

6:40PM: Wow, some common sense from an EU official:

“We have been at the side of the Palestinian population always and we will be at their side, but at the same time it’s also for the Palestinian population on both sides to say, ‘We want this peace,”‘ she said.

“We know that many people have been killed and we felt terribly sorry. We don’t want to see civilians killed but at the same time the population has to decide if it wants to go to peace.

6:38PM: Alternate reality: Hamas has claimed it lost only 48 fighters and killed 80 IDF soldiers.

5:55PM: Israel genocide watch.

5:02PM: Israeli President Shimon Peres:

“The terror groups brag as we expected them to, but victory is ours. [Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan] Nasrallah also claims he has won [in the 2006 Second Lebanon War], but since then he is only singing. He says their power has trebled, he sits and talks but he dares not fight. We can book him for performances.”

Presumably not for barmitzvahs.

Meanwhile, that is not the only great quote from Peres today.

“I ask the anti-Israel demonstrators – where were you during the eight years when Jews living around Gaza were constantly bombarded? Why didn’t we hear you then?”

Amen.

Aside: This has to be hard for Peres. It is the end of a dream.

I have a feeling of deja vu.

4:08PM: My friends over at the Muqata have hung up their liveblogging boots – for now. I will continue for a while longer, since I suspect there will still be some rather blogworthy news related to our Gaza op.

A hearty thank you to the Muqata crew for their excellent job.

1:00PM: Egyptian President and Israel’s “peace partner” Hosni Mubarak has explicitly supported terrorism in principle. He just thinks it unwise when it leads to Israel kicking palestinian butt.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak addressed the situation in the Gaza Strip at the Arab economic summit in Kuwait on Monday saying, “We support the right to resistance, but feel it should be responsible. We believe resistance, such as the decision to start a war, should be responsible and should be subject to profit and loss calculations.”

According to the president, “There are factions that admit the balance of power leans very much in Israel’s favor and it will take many years to reach an equal balance. Should the Palestinian people wait that long?” (Roee Nahmias)

12:46PM: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has promised to b*tch slap Hamas if they start the whole rocket firing thing again.

12:02PM: Hamas has vowed to rearm.

Meanwhile, here is the latest propaganda on their website:

undefeated-resistance

Notice how it does not actually say they were “victorious”, only “undefeated.” Technically speaking, they may be acknowledging a tie.

10:25AM: Iranian President Mahmoud “Gorilla Boy” Ahmadinejad has congratulated Head Hamashole Khaled Mashaal on Hamas’ “great victory.”

10:15AM: More disproportionate force with the Zionists blasting destructive cells.

10:00AM: We are allowing 200 trucks of humanitarian aid through to Gaza today.

You can see them going through now by clicking on the Gaza Aid – Live Feed graphic at the top of the right sidebar (or clicking directly here).

9:05AM: Some Gazans are criticizing Hamas.

“What rockets? Our rockets are like pencils compared to those fired by Israel,” said one woman in the devastated town of Beit Lahiya. Like many Gazans, she did not want to give her name when making unflattering remarks about the enclave’s rulers.

—-

But some Gazans criticised Hamas for continuing to fire rockets after the Israeli ceasefire announcement.

“We know their power was not destroyed, but at least give people a chance to breathe,” said a taxi driver who again would not give his name out of fear. “Was what happened not enough?”

“They should stop now,” he said. “They should think how to reach a real ceasefire, open the border crossings and bring money to help people rebuild and give them some compensation.

Lama, a secretary who would not give her full name, said: “Rockets must end. What did we gain from them?” she asked, noting that the truce could have been renewed in December. “Now after thousands of casualties, how does Hamas explain that?”

A teacher, who would agree to be named only as Bassem and who is a Fatah supporter, said Hamas showed no regard for Gaza’s people by firing rockets but he doubted the backlash against them would last, describing the “emotional” appeal of a movement led in Gaza by the territory’s prime minister Ismail Haniyeh.

Meanwhile, in the same report, are quotes from other Gazan civilians, which shows how it is conceivable that rocket launchers and weapons would be hidden inside and around people’s homes (besides by force, of course):

Ali Hassan, a father of five whose family had to flee battle zones, said Hamas should reconsider its pinprick rocket attacks. “Once we have a missile that can reach the heart of Tel Aviv and blow up a building, maybe they can resume fire,” he said.

5:48AM: Head Hamashole Ismail Haniyeh has declared victory, despite the damage suffered by his terrorist organization, and the fact he and his fellow Hamas leaders are still in hiding (with way less clean underwear).

5:40AM: Flying pig alert: Perhaps the most amazing BBC interview you will ever see.

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