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Saturday, July 21, 2018

The Gaza Ceasefire

The latest confrontation between Israel and the Hamas terrorists has ended for now in a ceasefire.  On Friday, Hamas tried to reinvigorate the weekly Friday "protests" at the border since almost no civilians were showing up to them anymore.  Hamas used snipers to try to pick off an Israeli soldier on the other side of the border, and the result was the first Israeli soldier at that location since the 2014 war there.  The Israeli response was to launch a major attack by air and artillery on various Hamas facilities, principally military headquarters and storage depots.  Some 60 plus targets were hit, and three main military headquarters were leveled.  As a result, Hamas sought a ceasefire.

The terms of the ceasefire include some rather important items.  Hamas has agreed to stop the use of incendiary kites and balloons against the Israelis.  If Hamas adheres to the terms, the Israeli farmers who live near Gaza will no longer need to fear that Hamas will be setting their fields on fire.  Hamas also agreed to stop launching missiles from Gaza towards Israel.  Nearly all missiles have been shot down by the Israeli Iron Dome system, but one did get through and landed in a kindergarten in a nearby town.  Fortunately, it did not explode on impact.

These terms are not just niceties.  The Israelis have made clear that if Hamas does not conform to the agreement, the Israeli response will be even stronger than the onslaught that caused the Hamas terrorists to sue for peace in the first place.

It would be nice to see this ceasefire hold.  My prediction, sadly, is that it won't.

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