ISRAEL: Israeli Army Chief of Staff Benny Gantz says the army can continue operations at any time

Record ID: 397603

  • Title: ISRAEL: Israeli Army Chief of Staff Benny Gantz says the army can continue operations at any time
  • Date: 22nd November 2012
  • Summary: ISRAELI-GAZA BORDER, ISRAEL (NOVEMBER 22, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ISRAELI ARMY RESERVES PACKING EQUIPMENT TO LEAVE BORDER AREA SOLDIERS FOLDING TENT MORE OF SOLDIERS PACKING EQUIPMENT WIDE OF MILITARY CAMP WITH RESERVES GETTING READY TO LEAVE ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS SOLDIERS CARRYING WOODEN POLES ISRAELI FLAG PAN DOWN TO SOLDERS IN BACK OF APC SOLDIER CARRYING BAG
  • Embargoed: 7th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVAE0K1W43NE407C74MBWUNIRMYC
  • Story Text: Israel stood down thousands of army reserves on Thursday (November 22), as a ceasefire with Gaza's Hamas rulers remained stable.
    Soldiers, many of them reserve units, were deployed along the border with Gaza during the eight-days of conflict.
    Thousands of the part-time reserve units packed up their equipment, walking to waiting buses to be taken away from the border area. Self propelled artillery, in action only yesterday against targets in Gaza, also joined the massed stand down from the border area.
    Israel's army chief told journalists that, even after the stand down of the reserves, the army was ready if needed.

    "We are totally ready, capable and willing if need to move on with land forces as well. If Gaza will stay quiet, if nothing comes out of there, Gaza will be a quiet place. If the terror organisations will reoperate from Gaza, the future is worse than it was," said Israeli Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz.
    Gaza medical officials said 162 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians, including 37 children and 11 women, were killed. Nearly 1,400 rockets were fired into Israel, killing four civilians and a soldier, the Israeli military said.
    Israel's defence minister said Israel dropped 1,000 times as much explosive on the Gaza Strip as had landed in Israel.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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