MIDDLE EAST: Israeli ground troops and infantry cross into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip

Record ID: 791413

  • Title: MIDDLE EAST: Israeli ground troops and infantry cross into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip
  • Date: 4th January 2009
  • Summary: ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER AREA, ISRAEL (JANUARY 4, 2009) (REUTERS) SMOKE BILLOWING FROM AREA NEAR PALESTINIAN TOWN IN GAZA ISRAELI MILITARY ARMOURED VEHICLES DRIVING IN FIELD TOWARDS AREA IN DISTANCE WHERE SMOKE IS RISING BLACK SMOKE RISING FROM PALESTINIAN TOWN IN DISTANCE SMOKE BLOWING ACROSS FIELD THICK BLACK SMOKE RISING FROM AREA IN PALESTINIAN TOWN ISRAELI MILITARY ARMOURED VEHICLE PARKED NEAR BORDER WITH GAZA ISRAELI SOLDIERS STANDING NEAR ARMOURED VEHICLE IN FIELD AND SMOKE RISING IN DISTANCE VARIOUS OF HEAVY SMOKE RISING FROM PALESTINIAN TOWN IN GAZA WIDE OF ISRAELI MILITARY VEHICLES PARKED IN FIELD ISRAELI MILITARY VEHICLE PARKED ON ROAD NEAR BORDER AND ISRAELI SOLDIERS NEARBY ISRAELI ARMOURED VEHICLE PARKED NEAR BORDER WITH GAZA ISRAELI MILITARY VEHICLES DRIVING ON ROAD NEAR BORDER WITH GAZA AND SMOKE IN SKY ABOVE
  • Embargoed: 19th January 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Reuters ID: LVA5RJSQSIYP9ZORA5AFT8RD0YBR
  • Story Text: Israeli tanks and infantry battled Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip on Sunday (January 4) in a ground offensive launched after eight days of deadly air strikes failed to halt the Islamist group's rocket attacks on Israel.
    Wearing night-vision goggles on their helmets and camouflage paint on their faces, Israeli soldiers entered the densely populated enclave on Saturday along with tank columns that swept in from four points as combat helicopters flew overhead.
    In initial fighting, Israeli ground forces killed eight Gazans, five of them gunmen, bringing the Palestinian death toll since the start of an air campaign on Dec. 27 to more than 450, Palestinian medical officials said.
    Israel said 30 of its soldiers were wounded, two seriously, since the start of the ground assault and that Israeli aircraft struck more than 45 targets, including arms smuggling tunnels, weapons depots and mortar squads.
    At the United Nations, the United States thwarted an effort by Libya to persuade the Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire, diplomats said.
    Israel said it called up tens of thousands of reservists and the military's chief spokesman estimated the operation in the Hamas-run territory could take "many long days".
    Heavy casualties are likely to increase international pressure on Israel to halt its biggest operation in the Gaza Strip in four decades, fighting that holds significant political risks for Israeli leaders ahead of a Feb. 10 national election.
    The plight of the 1.5 million Palestinians crammed into the Gaza Strip was growing more desperate. People have taken shelter in their homes for days and humanitarian agencies warned that water, food and medical supplies were running short.
    The Israeli military said "large infantry, tank, engineering, artillery and intelligence forces" were operating throughout the Gaza Strip, backed by attacks by aircraft and warships off the Mediterranean coast.
    At least a quarter of the 453 Palestinians killed in the current conflict have been civilians, a U.N. agency said. Another 2,050 Palestinians have been wounded. A leading Palestinian rights group put the number at 40 percent.
    Four Israelis have been killed by rockets that continue to pound southern Israel.
    In New York, the U.N. Security Council held a special meeting to discuss the latest developments. Several council diplomats said the U.S.
    refusal to back the Libyan-drafted demand for an immediate truce had killed the initiative, since council statements must be passed unanimously.
    A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Israeli attack as "a vicious aggression".
    Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the aim of the ground push was to "protect the home front" from rocket attacks. He refrained in a televised address from making any threat to try to topple Gaza's Hamas government.
    Major Avital Leibovich, an Israeli army spokeswoman, said the objective "is to destroy the Hamas terror infrastructure in the area of operations". Israeli commentators said the offensive was also aimed at boosting Israel's deterrence power.
    Israeli troops face Hamas fighters whom the United States and Israel say have received arms and training from Iran. Hamas is believed to have about 25,000 fighters and has placed landmines and other traps in anticipation of an invasion.
    An Egyptian-brokered six-month truce expired on Dec. 19 but it had been strained by Hamas rocket strikes and Israeli military operations against the group.
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