and the UN and EU to kill Egyptians (non-Moslem Brotherhood) and Israelis.
Posted on 07/25/2014 2:34:14 AM PDT by Star Traveler
As opposed to previous campaigns, the army has a concrete goal — finding the tunnels — which means Hamas knows precisely where to strike.
On Wednesday morning three paratroopers were killed, bringing the death toll since the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza to 32. It’s highly possible that those sitting around the General Staff table knew that this would be the price Israel would have to pay if it sought to neutralize the tunnel threat from Hamas. The public, still very much supportive of the operation, has been surprised. After all, during Operation Cast Lead in 2009, over 23 days of fighting, the army lost only 10 soldiers, four of them from friendly fire.
Take the case of the Paratroop Brigade. A platoon from its demolitions company set out early in the morning on Wednesday. Like the rest of the field units, they receive a daily list of objectives. The list can include securing a certain intersection; advancing toward a rocket cache; taking a building known to house a tunnel entrance; establishing perimeter security for demolition forces working on a tunnel, in a hostile environment, with a scary amount of explosives; laying an ambush for rocket squads; and a host of other tasks. The IDF has yet to convey explicitly what the paratroopers were up to but almost all of the above tasks would require, when operating in urban areas, entering a house.
Earlier in the week the Shin Bet provided real-time intelligence about a booby-trapped house in Khan Younis, saving many lives. On Wednesday, there was no warning. A squad of Hamas operatives, lying in ambush, waited until the paratroopers had entered the house and then hit the detonator. A section of the home crumbled and the operatives opened fire, pinning the force down.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesofisrael.com ...
They think going into the enemies lair is not dangerous?
And there is reason for that. Bombay and Mombasa like attacks thwarted:
One must remember that Olmert was PM then as well. We all know what a failure he was in that engagement and also with the one against Hezbollah to the north. He did not have the stomach in both cases to win the war instead if winning a cease fire.
My take is more tunnels are being built to kidnap-abduct Israelis and this can be a big psychological problem for the Israeli population. The drama and family in the news all the time. The speculation over what is being done to the victims by these evil evil bastards. What happens when Hamas gets to kidnap Israeli females?
Hamas has stated many times its objective of kidnapping Israelis to use as bargaining chips to get their imprisoned killers freed and to traumatize Israeli mothers and the nation
Notice that this escalated into the war we have after the 3 Israeli boys were kidnapped and killed
As of right now, Israeli leaders are still considering the possibility of committing national suicide - ie an “humanitarian” pause or ceasefire - allowing Hamas time to figure out how to defeat the Windbreaker system to which Hamas has no defense.
See the links in my post above yours. There were probably much larger terrorist attacks planned than just a few abductions.
Its war only 32 amazing.
I just posted something on the Windbreaker system, a few minutes ago.
Daisy cutters.
The size in numbers of the IDF is much smaller than the size of US military forces. The 32 dead would be similar to the USA losing between 500 and 700.
So it’s a big deal.
The IDF strives to minimize caualties and deaths and in this conflict they are needing to operate on terms of the enemy by entering buildings where the enemy has the element of surprise.
We can suppose they could consider doing things differently. They could clear a town within a certain radius before entering buildings so that the enemy could not see them entering buildings. And they could use robots to enter buildings.
The USA doesn’t give money or arms to Hamas, but the USA does give humanitarian aid to the People there in Gaza through agencies, such as UNRWA who administers the programs.
And Israel, who controls the good that go into Gaza (they have a blockade around Gaza) does let the goods that the USA sends in through UNRWA go through their checkpoints, as Israel has no problem with that.
What Israel doesn’t let go through their checkpoints or past their blockade are arms and material for war going to Hamas.
Israel singles out Qatar as key Hamas terror sponsor
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3184241/posts
http://www.timesofisrael.com/as-it-battles-hamas-israel-singles-out-its-sponsor-qatar/
Gulf emirate is branded the villain behind Hamas belligerence, with PM’s former security adviser saying it funds tunnel diggers and rocket launchers.
President Shimon Peres accused Qatar on Wednesday of becoming “the world’s largest funder of terror” due to its financial support for Hamas in Gaza.
“Qatar does not have the right to send money for rockets and tunnels which are fired at innocent civilians,” the outgoing statesman told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Jerusalem. “Their funding of terror must stop. If they want to build then they should, but they must not be allowed to destroy.”
Qatar’s recently attempted to transfer funds for the salaries of Hamas civil servants in Gaza, following the formation of a Palestinian unity government, but was blocked by the United States, which pressured the Arab Bank not to process them. But former national security adviser Maj. Gen. (res) Yaakov Amidror told The Times of Israel that the emirate’s funding for the organization’s terror apparatus, including tunnel diggers and rocket launchers, has continued unabated.
Hamas perspective: “The Jews are killing our terrorists 20 to one. Pretty soon no more Israelis!”
The tunnels are also a perfect low tech delivery system for a WMD...
Compared to WWI and WWII and other war battles counting into the thousands of casualties during a single day.
32 isn’t huge the liberals have push this no casualties idea to weaken us not make us stronger.
> “...liberals have push this no casualties idea to weaken us not make us stronger”
It has nothing to do with liberals.
The documented statements, opinions and lectures of General MacArthur, General Patton and many other brilliant military strategists are in disagreement with you.
I would never discount this
However Hamas and all Muslims conduct psychological warfare. Kidnapping Israelis is key to this propagandistic assault on the Israeli psyche. Muslim tradition of taking captives to bargain with and kidnapping goes back to when Muhammad lead his first Jihads, as an Islamic tool of war
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