THURSDAY FEATURE

1st-Hand: Amid the Airstrikes & Rockets, Israel’s Tragedy of “Insidious Silence”

UPDATE 2055 GMT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a ground offensive into Gaza:

In light of the despicable and relentless aggression by Hamas and the dangerous infiltration into Israel, Israel is obliged to protect its citizens….

Israel is committed to act to protect its citizens. The operation will continue until its goals are reached: To bring quiet to the citizens of Israel for a long period of time, and to seriously harm Hamas and other terrorist organizations’ infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli tanks have already moved across the border.

The Israeli military said in a statement:

Following ten days of Hamas attacks by land, air and sea, and after repeated rejections of offers to deescalate the situation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has initiated a ground operation within the Gaza Strip.

The IDF’s objective as defined by the Israeli government is to establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continues indiscriminate error, while striking a significant blow to Hamas’ terror infrastructure….

In the face of Hamas’ tactics to leverage civilian casualties in pursuit of its terrorist goals, the IDF will continue in its unprecedented efforts to limit civilian harm.

The IDF will operate resolutely to defend the State of Israel conducting itself with professionalism, a strict moral code of conduct and a deep respect for the sanctity of human life.

The IDF put a narrow-defined face on its invasion, saying it was seeking to destroy tunnels used by Gazan fighters:

Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner told reporters that the goal of the mission was not to topple the Hamas leadership of Gaza.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a five-hour “humanitarian pause” on Thursday, the 10th day of a conflict which has killed at least 227 Palestinians in Gaza.

The deaths were highlighted on Wednesday by an incident threatening the credibility of Israel’s attacks, which it claims are in response to rocket fire from Gaza.

Four Palestinian children, playing on a beach, were killed by Israeli shelling. The gunner appeared to target the children, aged nine to 11: they survived a first shell but were hit by a second as they tried to flee.

The incident occurred close to a hotel where international journalists stay. Several first-hand reports, graphically describing the attack on the children and their deaths, soon appeared.

Almost 1,700 Palestinians have been injured in the conflict. One Israeli has been killed and several injured since July 8.

The Israeli Government vowed to retaliate “firmly and decisively” if Hamas or other Gazan groups continued attacks during the pause, requested by the United Nations so Gazans could obtain necessary supplies.

The UN later clarified that the Israeli blockade meant no goods and food could be delivered into Gaza. Instead, the truce allows people who have fled their homes — sometimes prompted by Israeli leaflets warning of imminent airstrikes — to go back to collect supplies from them, and to help the UN reach areas within the Strip.

The UN declared a state of emergency across the Strip on Wednesday, citing a crisis in basic services, water, electricity, and health care.

Gaza’s hospitals have been overrun by casualties, and some have been struck by Israeli fire. More than 50 UN facilities have been damaged.
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Israel’s military said its forces bombed at least 150 targets in Gaza on Wednesday. Gaza’s Interior Ministry said 30 houses were targeted, including those of senior Hamas leaders Mahmoud Zahar, Jamila Shanti, Fathi Hamas, and Ismail Ashkar.

Israeli officials added the prospect of ground operations in the near-future, telling the New York Times that the chance of an invasion remained “very high”: “Every day that passes makes the possibility more evident.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained on Wednesday that “Hamas shut the door to a diplomatic solution and it therefore bears the sole responsibility…for civilian deaths”.