Israeli Ground Game: 1st Quarter

Israeli ground forces have opened up a new phase of ground attacks against Hamas. IDF forces have pushed into Gaza and surrounded Gaza city. Artillery, naval bombardments, as well as ground engagements between IDF forces and Hamas, have also been reported.

Wall Street Journal,

Israeli Troops, Tanks Push Deep Into Gaza

JERUSALEM -- Israeli tanks and troops poured into the Gaza Strip Saturday night and by Sunday afternoon appeared to have pushed deep into the north of the territory, as the Jewish state launched a ground assault against the militant group Hamas.

The land attack marks the dramatic escalation of an Israeli offensive that Palestinian hospital officials say has left as many as 470 Gazans dead and over 2,200 wounded since it began on Dec. 27".

The objective of this phase of the operation is to intensify the heavy blow already dealt to Hamas and to take control of area from where most of the rocket attacks against Israel originate, in order to reduce those rocket attacks," said Israeli military spokesman Brigadier-General Avi Benayahu. read more...

Haaretz.com,
ANALYSIS / IDF sending Hamas a message: Now it's personal

The killing of senior Hamas official Nizar Ghayan Thursday in an Israel Air Force strike in Jabalya is a significant development at this stage of the war in the Gaza Strip, due not only to his high position in the Gaza leadership but also because of the message his assassination sends to the Palestinians.

Gazans have been asking Haaretz why Israel is hitting Hamas foot soldiers, empty buildings and innocent civilians rather than the leadership. They see this as proof of Israel's inability to really deal with Hamas. Ghayan's killing shows that Israel is no longer hesitating. The Hamas leader in Gaza, Sheikh Ismail Haniyeh, his government and certainly Hamas military leaders such as Ahmed Jabri know they have good reason to stay in hiding. read more...

Jerusalem online,



Wall Street Journal,