IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said this morning that close to 40 armed Arabs have thus far been killed "while trying to attack our soldiers." Two more were killed since then. Most of them were killed in aerial attacks and exchanges of fire. Hamas Authority sources report that 26 have been killed and 80 have been wounded.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz, publicly addressing soldiers outside Gaza today, said, "Our actions have national and international legitimization. We sought every way to avoid a conflict, and now it is a question of 'no choice.' ... Our soldiers are fighting under the strictest ethical codes; no other army has such codes."
"The Palestinians are clearly acting and shooting from within civilian-populated areas, and are even using the population," Peretz added. "They hold their Kassam rockets with one hand, and their children with the other hand."
Soldiers continue to encounter heavy pockets of resistance, including anti-tank rocket and automatic weapons fire. On Friday morning, one missile missed its target and hit an Arab house instead.
In Thursday’s fighting, day one of IDF Operation Bashan Oaks, a Givati Brigade soldier was killed and two were wounded. St.-Sgt. Yehuda Bassal, 21, from Moshav Yinon near Kiryat Malachi, was killed by bullet fire to his head when he was covering for other soldiers in a house in the town of El-Atatra, just south of the former Jewish community of Dugit. It appears that he was shot by an Arab sniper; the possibility of errant friendly fire has apparently been ruled out.
He received emergency treatment on the scene for close to an hour while the heavy gunfire prevented his evacuation to a hospital. He was finally flown by helicopter to the trauma unit of Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Medical Center, where he died of his injuries a short time later. Yehuda will be laid to rest in the military section of the Kfar Warburg Cemetery on Friday afternoon at 1:30. He is survived by his parents Zecharia and Shoshana, and five older siblings - Yigal, Raz, Yossi, Yael and Bat-Oren.
One soldier sustained a light shrapnel injury, and a third was listed on Thursday in light-to-moderate condition.
Southern District Commander Gen. Yoav Galant said that the purpose of the IDF operation is not to conquer the area, but rather to put an end to Kassam attacks and other terrorism, and to "create the proper conditions for the release of [kidnapped soldier] Gilad Shalit... Our modus operandi is one of raids, and not of conquest."
Another commander, Brig.-Gen. Aviv Kokhavi, has described the strategy as "jumping from one place to another, getting out and in quickly, causing genuine confusion."
The operation, first named Summer Rains, began with a gradual build-up of forces outside of Gaza, but Prime Minister Olmert delayed ordering them in. As Kassam rocket fire continued to escalate, highlighted by longer-range rockets striking Ashkelon earlier this week, the order was given for the Golani force to advance, and the offensive became Operation Bashan Oaks.
Following eight Kassams at Israel yesterday (Thursday), three more have been fired so far this morning, including at Kibbutz Saad. No one was hurt.
Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders, including Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who heads the Hamas-led terror administration, call upon the international community to condemn Israel’s actions. Demanding an immediate halt to the IDF operation, they term Israel’s actions a “violation of international law” and a “crime against humanity.” Arab nations are seeking a UN Security Council resolution against Israel as well as sanctions.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz, publicly addressing soldiers outside Gaza today, said, "Our actions have national and international legitimization. We sought every way to avoid a conflict, and now it is a question of 'no choice.' ... Our soldiers are fighting under the strictest ethical codes; no other army has such codes."
"The Palestinians are clearly acting and shooting from within civilian-populated areas, and are even using the population," Peretz added. "They hold their Kassam rockets with one hand, and their children with the other hand."
Soldiers continue to encounter heavy pockets of resistance, including anti-tank rocket and automatic weapons fire. On Friday morning, one missile missed its target and hit an Arab house instead.
In Thursday’s fighting, day one of IDF Operation Bashan Oaks, a Givati Brigade soldier was killed and two were wounded. St.-Sgt. Yehuda Bassal, 21, from Moshav Yinon near Kiryat Malachi, was killed by bullet fire to his head when he was covering for other soldiers in a house in the town of El-Atatra, just south of the former Jewish community of Dugit. It appears that he was shot by an Arab sniper; the possibility of errant friendly fire has apparently been ruled out.
He received emergency treatment on the scene for close to an hour while the heavy gunfire prevented his evacuation to a hospital. He was finally flown by helicopter to the trauma unit of Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Medical Center, where he died of his injuries a short time later. Yehuda will be laid to rest in the military section of the Kfar Warburg Cemetery on Friday afternoon at 1:30. He is survived by his parents Zecharia and Shoshana, and five older siblings - Yigal, Raz, Yossi, Yael and Bat-Oren.
One soldier sustained a light shrapnel injury, and a third was listed on Thursday in light-to-moderate condition.
Southern District Commander Gen. Yoav Galant said that the purpose of the IDF operation is not to conquer the area, but rather to put an end to Kassam attacks and other terrorism, and to "create the proper conditions for the release of [kidnapped soldier] Gilad Shalit... Our modus operandi is one of raids, and not of conquest."
Another commander, Brig.-Gen. Aviv Kokhavi, has described the strategy as "jumping from one place to another, getting out and in quickly, causing genuine confusion."
The operation, first named Summer Rains, began with a gradual build-up of forces outside of Gaza, but Prime Minister Olmert delayed ordering them in. As Kassam rocket fire continued to escalate, highlighted by longer-range rockets striking Ashkelon earlier this week, the order was given for the Golani force to advance, and the offensive became Operation Bashan Oaks.
Following eight Kassams at Israel yesterday (Thursday), three more have been fired so far this morning, including at Kibbutz Saad. No one was hurt.
Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders, including Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who heads the Hamas-led terror administration, call upon the international community to condemn Israel’s actions. Demanding an immediate halt to the IDF operation, they term Israel’s actions a “violation of international law” and a “crime against humanity.” Arab nations are seeking a UN Security Council resolution against Israel as well as sanctions.