Ten days after Hamas began its heavy rocket attacks on Israel and the Israelis responded with air attacks of their own on Gaza, the next phase of the fighting has begun. This evening Israeli troops entered Gaza. The Israeli government says that the purpose of the attacks is to take out the tunnels that Hamas has built under the border and to attack the "terror infrastructure". It is unclear what that exactly means.
Perhaps the most interesting comment on these events came from the foreign minister of Egypt who slammed Hamas as being responsible for what was happening. He said that Israel had accepted a cease fire proposed by Egypt earlier this week, but Hamas had refused. He further said that had Hamas accepted the proposed cease fire, over 40 residents of Gaza would still be alive today instead of deaths due to war.
Hamas' reaction to the entry of Israeli troops was the usual bravado about how they are not afraid and Israel will be sorry. So what else is new? This latest move, however, may bring about a much more pliable Hamas response when the next suggestion of a cease fire comes.
For its part, Israel's action was most likely caused by the infiltration this morning of over a dozen Hamas terrorists through a tunnel to attack an Israeli village near the border. The terrorists were seen by Israelis troops and engaged before they could carry out their terror attack. Some were killed and others fled back to Gaza through the tunnel. The Israelis want to make certain that there are no more of these tunnels through which attacks could be launched. Keep in mind that Gaza is three times larger than the District of Columbia, so checking the border area for tunnels is not such an easy task. It may be days before the Israelis complete it.
Perhaps the most interesting comment on these events came from the foreign minister of Egypt who slammed Hamas as being responsible for what was happening. He said that Israel had accepted a cease fire proposed by Egypt earlier this week, but Hamas had refused. He further said that had Hamas accepted the proposed cease fire, over 40 residents of Gaza would still be alive today instead of deaths due to war.
Hamas' reaction to the entry of Israeli troops was the usual bravado about how they are not afraid and Israel will be sorry. So what else is new? This latest move, however, may bring about a much more pliable Hamas response when the next suggestion of a cease fire comes.
For its part, Israel's action was most likely caused by the infiltration this morning of over a dozen Hamas terrorists through a tunnel to attack an Israeli village near the border. The terrorists were seen by Israelis troops and engaged before they could carry out their terror attack. Some were killed and others fled back to Gaza through the tunnel. The Israelis want to make certain that there are no more of these tunnels through which attacks could be launched. Keep in mind that Gaza is three times larger than the District of Columbia, so checking the border area for tunnels is not such an easy task. It may be days before the Israelis complete it.
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