An Update on Day 9 of Operation Cast Lead

Here are the various reports I have found and wish to preserve on the 9th Day of Operation Cast Lead:


First, a word of Wisdom from the blogger at the Muqata:

12:35 PM Foreign News services are quoting Al-Jazeera and Hamas "news" sources about all sorts of bad things going on regarding IDF soldiers. The IDF spokesman has authoritatively debunked some of them, and are looking into others. Be advised -- reports based on Al Jazeera and Hamas are for psychological warfare and do not necessarily reflect reality of planet Earth.

Source: |The Muqata|, in Day 9 of the War, Sunday, January 4, 2009



My blogging is just a snapshot of what i find, and here are some of the sources that are providing much more in depth coverage than I ever could...

The Muqata, and today's live-blogging and Twitter Account


Israelly Cool, and today's live-blogging


Israel Matzav, reports the death of Hamas terrorist Hussan Hamdan and has some raw raw video of the IDF in action.


The Elder of Ziyon, who has this video on the plight of the Gazans:




Jerusalem Post



Ha'aretz


One Jerusalem

Here is a Public Service Announcement to all terrorist-loving lefties to remind you why Israel sometimes is forced to target mosques, homes and even ambulances...they are used by your friends, the Palestinians, as staging areas for troops, weapons and, in the case of ambulances, as troop carriers (notice the bold UN markings on the ambulances):


You can be rest assured that when terrorists are killed in these situations, they are stripped of their weapons and magically transoformed into civilians.
Pamella Geller brings us a report on times Square being filled with Pro-Hamas terrorist sympathizers. Rober Spencer found more terrorist sympathizers in Washington, DC.

Now, to some coverage of the war...

From Ha'aretz come this analysis:

The international community, headed by the U.S. and Egypt, is giving Israel time to carry out the ground offensive in Gaza, so it will severely damage Hamas' regime. The rationale behind such a move is that a weakened Hamas would improve the chances of achieving a stable agreement in Gaza once the fighting subsides.

And so there is a degree of foot-dragging in the diplomatic efforts to reach a cease-fire. The most visible sign of this was the decision to postpone the United Nations Security Council discussion on Gaza planned for Monday.

Source: |Ha'retz|, in ANALYSIS / International community giving Israel time to weaken Hamas in Gaza



And here are a couple of excerpts from Yahoo! News:

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Militants in the Gaza Strip fired 25 rockets and mortar rounds into Israel on Sunday, lightly wounding one woman, as Israeli troops pushed deeper into the Palestinian territory, an army spokesman said.
One of the rockets directly struck a house in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, which has borne the brunt of the militant fire from Gaza. One woman was lightly wounded, medics said.
Twelve of the rockets were the longer-range Grad rockets, which fell without causing casualties near the city of Ashdod, Israel's second-largest port, and communities of Ofaqim and Netivod, the army said.

Source: |Yahoo! News|, in Dozens of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel


and this from Lebanon:

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Lebanese security officials say police forces have fired tear gas at scores of demonstrators who tried to reach the U.S. Embassy compound north of Beirut.
They say the demonstrators were protesting Israel's ground attack on the Gaza Strip.
The officials say about 250 demonstrators tried to cut through barbed wire placed by Lebanese police on a road leading to the U.S. Embassy in the northern suburb of Aukar.

Source: |Yahoo! News|, in Demonstrators try to reach US Embassy in Beirut


The UK Telegraph has this from the fighting in Gaza:

A column of Israeli tanks, backed by aircraft, pushed deep into the territory, and Israel's navy prevented travel along Gaza's coastal road, witnesses said, effectively cutting the enclave in half.
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.

Source: |UK Telegraph|, in Gaza siege: Fierce fighting as Israel's troops battle Hamas in the streets


And here is a report of IDF troops dividing Gaza into sections (the entire article since i can't link to individual articles on that website):

Early Sunday afternoon reports are speaking of the Israeli military dividing the Gaza Strip into different sections. Al-Jazeera television is reporting that IDF armored personnel carriers are moving in the area where the Netzarim Israeli settlement had been until the Israeli pullout from Gaza in 2005. The army has taken up a position in the Zeitun neighborhood, thereby cutting Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, from the central and southern Strip.

A Kol Yisrael reporter monitoring reports said army bulldozers were said to have paved a path for the tanks to travel through the area.

Israeli artillery was being fired into Bet Hanun, known as a location for launching rockets at Israel, in the northern Gaza Strip. Al-Arabiyeh television was reporting heavy exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen in the Bet Hanun area.

Al-Jazeera in English was reporting that IDF soldiers were going house-to-house in various places and detaining suspects.
According to that report, IDF troops entered the border area between Gaza and Egypt, in the southern strip.

Israeli troops were also said to be in the area of the Dahaniya airport, and exchanges of fire were reported there.

Israel is saying that it has no information regarding any Israeli soldiers that may have been abducted. Hamas seems to be backtracking from its earlier claim that it had kidnapped two soldiers, with a spokesman evading a question when he was asked about the claim, saying instead that Hamas would kidnap soldiers if the military operation continues.

Meanwhile, Hamas was continuing to fire rockets into Israel, at late Sunday morning six Kassam and Grad rockets were fired into the western Negev. One rocket landed and exploded in the southern outskirts of Ashkelon, three rockets landed in the Eshkol region, and two in the Netivot area. One person was lightly hurt from fragments in those latest firings.

The head of Gaza rescue and emergency services is saying that since Saturday night, some 30 Palestinians have been hurt in the Israeli atatcks, most of the casualties are said to be children.

He says that since the beginning of the operation just over a week ago, the Palestinian death toll is 470, including more than 80 children and about 45 women.

Al-Arabiyeh was reporting that eight Palestinians were killed in an IDF attack on a school in Bet Lahiya. Al-Jazeera reported that 12 people were killed in that attack.

The Reuters news agency quoted medics in Gaza as saying that five Palestinian civilians were killed and 40 were wounded in a shelling in a Gaza City shopping area.

The cabinet held its weekly meeting in Tel Aviv on Sunday because that's where military hedaquarters is located. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the ministers that he had requested from the defense establishment to report to him on the number of rocket launchings that have taken place in the areas of Gaza where Israeli ground troops are now operating and that he was told that the number he received was 220 during the last week alone.

The prime minister said he was also turning to the mothers of the soldiers involved in the operation, and said, "I can look at each one of you in the eyes and say that the government has done everything before making the decision to enter into a ground offensive."

Olmert told the cabinet ministers that alongside the military operation has been an Israeli diplomatic campaign. He said that even Israel's best friends are concerned and troubled, but that a large majority, said Olmert, understand and support Israel. Olmert singled out US President George W. Bush for his statement that Israel must ensure that Hamas not only stops firing, but that it also won't be able to fire in the future.

Source: |Israel broadcast Authority|, in Jan4 2009 - 13:42 update (Israel Time)


And here is a report of Hamas terrorists shooting and killing Palestinians siding with the terrorist group Fatah:

Fatah officials in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas militiamen had been assaulting many Fatah activists since the beginning of the operation last Saturday. They said at least 75 activists were shot in the legs while others had their hands broken.

Wisam Abu Jalhoum, a Fatah activist from the Jabalya refugee camp, was shot in the legs by Hamas militiamen for allegedly expressing joy over the IDF air strikes on Hamas targets.

Source: |Jerusalem Post|, in Hamas moves on Fatah 'collaborators'


That is all I have for now. May this ground operation prove more successful for Israel than the one in 2006.