For six days, Israel was moving tanks from the Syrian border to Gaza. Hamas watched the deployment of Israeli tanks, powerless to counter the impending attack.
Israeli artillery, deployed at the border with Gaza, provided defensive fire for the tanks.
Hamas and PIJ had earlier boasted of foxholes and C-4 massive tank mines. It remains to be seen whether Israeli intelligence identified most of them.
Despite the Second Lebanon War experience, most Israeli tanks are not equipped with Trophy active missile defense and remain vulnerable to RPGs; Hamas has stockpiled RPG-29s it got from Syria.
Learning from the errors made in Lebanon, Israeli tank crews in Gaza enjoy some support from helicopters, which look out for RPG launchers.
As Israel has an air monopoly over Gaza, tanks are not necessary to destroy the militants’ targets. IDF now tries to reach into pockets of Hamas and PIJ resistance and provoke their dispersed fighters into battles. Presumably, even if they fire from residential buildings, IAF would take out the buildings. The tanks, therefore, act as a bait for Palestinian guerrillas.
The tank operation represents Israel’s attempt to maintain its momentum. As IAF runs out of targets, Israel tries to keep the initiative without ceding it to Hamas.
About 2,500 IDF troops have so far entered Gaza, supported by tanks. The IDF’s success now depends on Hamas’ inability to disperse its fighters and allow the invading troops through before engaging them in hit-and-run attacks.
Israeli aims in the ground operation remain unclear. One stated goal is the destruction of Hamas’ infrastructure. Like what? Another is taking control of Kassam launch pads. But every square meter of land in Gaza is potentially a launch pad. Occupying a few miles of northern Gaza solves nothing, as Grad missiles can be launched at Israel from southern Gaza. Hamas has missiles whose range exceeds forty miles.
Just like a week ago, the Israeli government unnecessarily scheduled the attack for Shabbat: though the invasion occurred in the evening, all the preparations were carried out in daytime. If this is done to save lives, why didn’t we invade a week ago?
well maybe, just maybe if Hamas didn’t insist on firing rockets into Israel them none of this would be happening
It’s a vicious circle: bellicose rhetoric, border closures, rockets, more closures, more rockets
@ Hue Mann:
that’s like saying “If you hadn’t slapped me I wouldn’t have had to murder your family. See what happens?”
Really, “If you hadn’t been attacking my family for three years, I wouldn’t have had to kill you and perhaps your family along with you.”
I’m sorry, but you absolutely cannot compare the violence of Hamas to the violence of the Israeli army.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050459.html
hurmm.. the the price for the israel citizen too high compare to poor palestanian who have lack of food, infrastructure and medicine.
israel naver learn from their history.. i really hope this can end quickly..
who acts, he deserves to be reacted..!
The thing is, Hamas doesn’t care about its own people, it is entertaining the Agendas of greater regional and other Arab powers such as rich Saudi Extremists, Iran. And after all Israel is fighting for land they owned hundreds of generations ago.
And the increduling fact is, the Arab world is expecting Israel to be rational, but we all know how they would act if they had the upper hand.
One thing every society should learn from Israel is their superiority is earned, it is not the US nor Europeans but it is the society itself that brought the country to what it is now.
A word for Palestinian Youngsters, instead of firing rockets, try to think of avenging your people with development and building your country and society. If Israel comes and destroys a peacefully developing Palestinian society, which she won’t, then we will see how the world actually reacts.
It’s hard to imagine Israel tanks enter Gaza. AFter all, it’s unwise to start fighting on your own territory. Israel tanks enter to the sector will not bring any results but problems only.
Instead of attacking Israel’d better think about defense against sea missile extremely popular in Iran nowadays.