Operation Days of Repentence

Operation Days of Repentance is continuing for the fifth day in northern
Gaza. The IDF has captured and surrounded the Jabalya refugee camp which is
a center of activity for the manufacture and shooting of Kassem rockets into
Israel. This Operation followed the killing of two toddlers in Sderot and
the killing of a jogger and two soldiers in Gaza.
During the fighting two IDF soldiers have been killed and ca. 60
Palestinians. Most of these are gunmen, some in uniform, most not. A group
of four uniformed members of Islamic Jihad who tried to infiltrate the
nearby settlement of Nahal Oz during the morning fog, were caught and
killed. A group of gunmen who drove towards the border from Jabalya were
killed when a rocket fired from a drone hit their vehicle.
In a separate incident last night two Hamas leaders, Mehdi Mushtaha and
Kalid Amreet, were killed when a rocket hit their car in Gaza City. Both
have been identified as leaders of the manufacture and distribution of
Kassam rockets. In all, the IDF estimates that they have knocked out six
Kassam rocket launch teams. From that perspective the Operation is a
success.
The reactions of the Palestinians to the Operation are varied. The official
PA position is that they oppose the firing of rockets into Israel, but they
have done nothing to stop them. Arafat has appealed to the world to stop
this "racist crime" and the Arab League is meeting in Cairo today. It is
unlikely that they will do anything to help the Palestinians, apart from
issuing a statement. The Egyptians have been warning Hamas and the PA for
months to stop their provocations of Israel. It is also worth noting that
the PA forces do not fire the Kassam rockets, and their armed militias are
not engaging in the current fighting. This is a source of friction between
Hamas and the PA.
Meanwhile Hamas is caught in a dilemma. They held a press conference in
Jabalya and declared that they will prevent the IDF from entering the camp,
and that they will fire longer range rockets at the Israeli city of Ashkelon
(20 km from Gaza). However, the press conference broke up in chaos when an
Israeli helicopter was heard circling outside. Later Hamas issued a
statement that they will stop launching rockets if the IDF withdraws from
Jabalya (really).
Israel has complained to the UN over the picture obtained by a drone of a
man carrying a rocket launcher and putting it into a vehicle with a UN logo
on the top, and then driving away. The head of UNWRA, Peter Hansen, who is
totally pro-Palestinian, has dismissed this claim and said it was a
stretcher that the man was carrying. This is a matter of dispute. However,
it is undeniable that UNWRA-run camps and facilities have been used freely
by terrorist groups for many years, for training, storing weapons and
teaching hatred of Jews and martyrdom lessons to children (UNWRA is funded
by the US and EU from taxpayer money).
The US has supported Israel's right to defend itself against rocket attacks,
but the State Department spokesman warned Israel to avoid civilian
casualties. This while US jets are bombing Samara, Falluja and Sadr City in
Baghdad, killing hundreds of civilians. Talk about hypocrisy! But, then
war is never fair.
PM Sharon has announced that the Operation will continue "as long as
necessary" until a "buffer zone" of ca. 6 miles is established to prevent
the launching of rockets into Israel. It is noteworthy that this would
probably be happening whether or not Israel "disengages" from Gaza.
However, the Disengagement Plan is still going ahead according to schedule.
So we have the unusual situation that Israel is re-occupying part of
northern Gaza preparatory to withdrawing, and the Palestinians, who really
want Israel out of Gaza, are fighting in such a way that the IDF remains
there. In the end it is important for the IDF to establish that they are
not being "thrown out" of Gaza as Hamas will claim, but it is important for
Hamas to try to maintain their credibility to claim that. What a mess!