The IDF says that it is not clear how 10 or more Palestinian terrorists and civilians were killed this afternoon - but it was definitely not a result of Israeli helicopter fire, and may very well have been the result of Palestinian-placed bombs.
IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Ruth Yaron said that the incident occurred on a route that is full of explosives, which may have blown up as Israeli forces tried to deter a group of armed Palestinian terrorists from advancing towards Israeli forces. She recounted what happened this afternoon:
"A group of armed terrorists set off on the route from Tel Sultan towards our forces, amidst a group of civilians. An IDF helicopter fired one warning shell towards an open area, and our films show clearly that it did not cause any casualties. At the same time, warning flashes were fired - but the terrorists continued. The ground forces then fired towards them, but the terrorists continued to advance. At this point, a tank force fired four shells towards an empty building - and at this point they were killed. It is still not clear how; we are reviewing the films. But don't forget that this took place in an area that has been the scene of warfare for two days, a city under curfew, where the civilian population is used as hostages by the terrorists to protect their activities, and on a road that is filled with explosives placed by the terrorists - our army vehicles don't travel on it for that reason."
Arab sources are reporting 15-20 dead, including many children. IDF sources say 10 were killed, and 30-50 wounded.
Predictably, the reasons for Israel's counter-terrorism offensive in Rafiach - last week's 13 dead soldiers, the ongoing weapons smuggling from Egypt, and the terrorist infrastructures in the residential areas - have been forgotten, and calls for Israel to stop the operation have resumed. MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) responded,
"Those who are aiding the propaganda of the terror organizations are taking part in a blood libel against the IDF, just as they did during the battle in Jenin [two years ago, when Israel was groundlessly accused of carrying out a massacre]."
The strike was made in the framework of Israel's anti-terrorist Operation Rainbow. The offensive continues, very slowly but surely, along Israel's border with Egypt in southern Gaza. Though Israel is making efforts to juggle humanitarian treatment of its enemy with the ferreting out of terrorist elements, Arab elements have placed great emphasis on yesterday's deaths of an Arab brother and sister - which actually resulted from a bomb placed by Palestinian terrorists.
An IDF official said,
"Our investigation so far indicates that there is no proof that IDF fire hit [the brother and sister], but rather that the explosives placed by armed Palestinian terrorists near a mosque and school indicate that the two were hit by an explosive of that nature."
Israel has destroyed only four buildings since it sent massive forces into Rafiach on Monday morning. Last night, IDF forces in the Tel Sultan neighborhood tore down the home of the terrorist who shot and killed Tali Hatuel, her unborn son and her four daughters from point-blank range 17 days ago.
Gush Katif residents recalled today that some 20 years ago, the Jews of the area strongly protested the plan to allow Arabs to populate the hill that is now Tel Sultan. The Israelis put up a protest tent on the then-empty hill against the idea of allowing non-local Arab "settlers" to live in such close proximity to the Jewish neighborhoods. One of the houses whose construction the government allowed 20 years ago was that of the Hatuel family murderer - and was turned into rubble by the IDF last night.
As of this morning, some 20 Arabs - almost all of them wanted terrorists - had been killed in the operation; the IDF forces are avoiding alleyways and house-to-house fighting, and have suffered no casualties.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon explained the objectives of the operation yesterday:
"We are forced to carry out this operation in Rafiach [the city divided in two by the Israeli-Egyptian border - ed. note] because Rafiach has turned into a gateway for terrorism. RPG missiles have been brought [into Gaza] via Rafiach, and there have been attempts in the past days to bring in other weapons via the tunnels under the border, that which is known as the Philadelphi Route... The Palestinians apparently prefer their arms-smuggling over the lives of the people who reside along the border, and we are therefore forced to take these actions... We plan to arrest and reach all those who are involved in smuggling... We are advancing cautiously and in an organized manner, and we will continue the mission until it is completed."
Channel Two television correspondent Roni Daniel, accompanying the Israeli forces, reports that the very heavy forces proceeded yesterday at a rate of a kilometer in six hours. "There is barely a soul on the street," he said. "The city of 20,000 people looks like a ghost town. Most of the residents are holed up inside their homes." Rafiach and environs have been the site of some of the heaviest fighting throughout the 3.5-year-old Oslo War.
The IDF reports that its delegates are in constant contact with PA officials and international aid groups to coordinate passage of ambulances, medical equipment and other necessary supplies. In addition, the Israeli army has opened special routes for ambulances and humanitarian aid. Trucks loaded with dozens of tons of humanitarian aid equipment were allowed into the Rafiach refugee camp. A special humanitarian center is active around the clock handling PA, Israeli and international humanitarian requests.
A senior officer was quoted on Ynet as saying,
"At the end of last week, some 50-60 buildings were destroyed, while since then we have taken down only some of the 17 buildings that the Supreme Court allowed us to raze. We are very careful only to take down structures used by the terrorists. We are emphasizing the humanitarian aspects, not only to rebuff international pressure, but out of a sincere desire not to harm the residents or their property."
MK Yuval Shteinitz (Likud), chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, stated that Egypt is responsible for the current state of affairs in Rafiach. He said that the fact that Egypt does not prevent the smuggling of weapons and ammunition into Rafiach, and permits Hamas to turn northeastern Sinai into a logistical terror base, has resulted in the need for the IDF anti-terror offensive.
IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Ruth Yaron said that the incident occurred on a route that is full of explosives, which may have blown up as Israeli forces tried to deter a group of armed Palestinian terrorists from advancing towards Israeli forces. She recounted what happened this afternoon:
"A group of armed terrorists set off on the route from Tel Sultan towards our forces, amidst a group of civilians. An IDF helicopter fired one warning shell towards an open area, and our films show clearly that it did not cause any casualties. At the same time, warning flashes were fired - but the terrorists continued. The ground forces then fired towards them, but the terrorists continued to advance. At this point, a tank force fired four shells towards an empty building - and at this point they were killed. It is still not clear how; we are reviewing the films. But don't forget that this took place in an area that has been the scene of warfare for two days, a city under curfew, where the civilian population is used as hostages by the terrorists to protect their activities, and on a road that is filled with explosives placed by the terrorists - our army vehicles don't travel on it for that reason."
Arab sources are reporting 15-20 dead, including many children. IDF sources say 10 were killed, and 30-50 wounded.
Predictably, the reasons for Israel's counter-terrorism offensive in Rafiach - last week's 13 dead soldiers, the ongoing weapons smuggling from Egypt, and the terrorist infrastructures in the residential areas - have been forgotten, and calls for Israel to stop the operation have resumed. MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) responded,
"Those who are aiding the propaganda of the terror organizations are taking part in a blood libel against the IDF, just as they did during the battle in Jenin [two years ago, when Israel was groundlessly accused of carrying out a massacre]."
The strike was made in the framework of Israel's anti-terrorist Operation Rainbow. The offensive continues, very slowly but surely, along Israel's border with Egypt in southern Gaza. Though Israel is making efforts to juggle humanitarian treatment of its enemy with the ferreting out of terrorist elements, Arab elements have placed great emphasis on yesterday's deaths of an Arab brother and sister - which actually resulted from a bomb placed by Palestinian terrorists.
An IDF official said,
"Our investigation so far indicates that there is no proof that IDF fire hit [the brother and sister], but rather that the explosives placed by armed Palestinian terrorists near a mosque and school indicate that the two were hit by an explosive of that nature."
Israel has destroyed only four buildings since it sent massive forces into Rafiach on Monday morning. Last night, IDF forces in the Tel Sultan neighborhood tore down the home of the terrorist who shot and killed Tali Hatuel, her unborn son and her four daughters from point-blank range 17 days ago.
Gush Katif residents recalled today that some 20 years ago, the Jews of the area strongly protested the plan to allow Arabs to populate the hill that is now Tel Sultan. The Israelis put up a protest tent on the then-empty hill against the idea of allowing non-local Arab "settlers" to live in such close proximity to the Jewish neighborhoods. One of the houses whose construction the government allowed 20 years ago was that of the Hatuel family murderer - and was turned into rubble by the IDF last night.
As of this morning, some 20 Arabs - almost all of them wanted terrorists - had been killed in the operation; the IDF forces are avoiding alleyways and house-to-house fighting, and have suffered no casualties.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon explained the objectives of the operation yesterday:
"We are forced to carry out this operation in Rafiach [the city divided in two by the Israeli-Egyptian border - ed. note] because Rafiach has turned into a gateway for terrorism. RPG missiles have been brought [into Gaza] via Rafiach, and there have been attempts in the past days to bring in other weapons via the tunnels under the border, that which is known as the Philadelphi Route... The Palestinians apparently prefer their arms-smuggling over the lives of the people who reside along the border, and we are therefore forced to take these actions... We plan to arrest and reach all those who are involved in smuggling... We are advancing cautiously and in an organized manner, and we will continue the mission until it is completed."
Channel Two television correspondent Roni Daniel, accompanying the Israeli forces, reports that the very heavy forces proceeded yesterday at a rate of a kilometer in six hours. "There is barely a soul on the street," he said. "The city of 20,000 people looks like a ghost town. Most of the residents are holed up inside their homes." Rafiach and environs have been the site of some of the heaviest fighting throughout the 3.5-year-old Oslo War.
The IDF reports that its delegates are in constant contact with PA officials and international aid groups to coordinate passage of ambulances, medical equipment and other necessary supplies. In addition, the Israeli army has opened special routes for ambulances and humanitarian aid. Trucks loaded with dozens of tons of humanitarian aid equipment were allowed into the Rafiach refugee camp. A special humanitarian center is active around the clock handling PA, Israeli and international humanitarian requests.
A senior officer was quoted on Ynet as saying,
"At the end of last week, some 50-60 buildings were destroyed, while since then we have taken down only some of the 17 buildings that the Supreme Court allowed us to raze. We are very careful only to take down structures used by the terrorists. We are emphasizing the humanitarian aspects, not only to rebuff international pressure, but out of a sincere desire not to harm the residents or their property."
MK Yuval Shteinitz (Likud), chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, stated that Egypt is responsible for the current state of affairs in Rafiach. He said that the fact that Egypt does not prevent the smuggling of weapons and ammunition into Rafiach, and permits Hamas to turn northeastern Sinai into a logistical terror base, has resulted in the need for the IDF anti-terror offensive.