ALL HELL WILL BREAK LOOSE
Omri Ceren, The Israel Project 16:19
Late yesterday an unconditional 72-hour ceasefire was announced by Secretary of State Kerry and UNSC Ban Ki-Moon. It took hold at 8:00am Israel time.
Around 90 minutes into the ceasefire Hamas launched a suicide attack. Two soldiers were killed and Hamas managed to kidnap a 3rd.
The kdinapping will trigger a cascade of diplomatic and geopolitical consequences. The Qataris were reportedly central to crafting the ceasefire, and may have promised to ‘deliver’ Hamas in one sense or another (http://www.haaretz.com/news/
But the immediate consequence is that the war is now set to go on for a long time. Gershon Baskin, who has been Israel’s top negotiator on Hamas matters and was a key figure in the talks over kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, tweeted a few minutes ago that “Al Qassam just signed the death sentenced of many Hamas leaders. There will not be another Schalit deal.” (https://twitter.com/
The coverage over the next few days is likely to be straightfoward. The Israelis said very openly “we’re really worried about ceasefires, because Hamas has used every single one of them to regroup and attack.” The international community responded “continued fighting is unacceptable, and so there must be a ceasefire.” The Israelis accepted a 72-hour truce. And here we are.
Omri.
412-512-7256
@cerenomri
IDF: Hamas used ceasefire to kidnap soldier; ceasefire over
IDF fear Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was kidnapped after suicide bomber attacks forces working to clear tunnels in Gaza Friday morning; Hamas: Attack took place before ceasefire – event still ongoing.
Yoav Zitun
It was cleared for publication that Givati Battalion Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin (23) from Kfar Saba was missing and feared to have been abducted Friday morning during clashes in the Gaza Strip near Rafah.
According to an announcement by the IDF, at 9:30 am Friday, terrorists opened fire at IDF forces in southern Gaza. Initial information from the scene indicated that there is a chance that an IDF soldiers was kidnapped during the incident.
The event is still ongoing, the IDF said, and forces are working with military intelligence to find the soldier.
“(Israeli) forces operating to decommission an (infiltration) tunnel were attacked. Initial indications are that a soldier has been abducted by terrorists during the operation,” the spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said in a conference call with journalists.
Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzook said Friday that Israel had officially informed the UN that an IDF soldier may be missing in the Gaza Strip in the area of Rafah.
According to Abu Marzook, “The UN informed Egypt because they are the broker (of ceasefire efforts).”
Speaking with Ynet, a senior IDF source said that the possible kidnapping of an IDF soldier was carried out in a skirmish near a smuggling tunnel and was aided by a suicide bomber. According to him, a terrorists appeared while forces were searching for tunnels, one of them then blew himself up, during which time others kidnapped the solider.
“I can confirm that at 9:30 Hamas broke the ceasefire and that there is a growing fear that a soldier has been kidnapped,” a senior IDF source told Ynet, adding the incident took place while forces were searching for tunnels, a right Israel maintained as part of the ceasefire agreement.
“His family has been informed and massive clashes are still underway. Numerous terrorists have been killed.”
The lull was seemingly first broken by terror factions in Gaza who fired a mortar at Israel at roughly 10 am Friday morning. The mortar, which was followed by another shortly after, failed to land in Israel, falling in Gaza territory. Meanwhile, massive clashes and fire were reported from Gaza which left at least 40 dead.
End of ceasefire
The IDF also said on Friday that a Gaza ceasefire that went into effect earlier on Friday is now over and military operations were in progress on the ground.
Asked during a media conference call if the ceasefire was over, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said: “Yes. We are continuing our activities on the ground.”
His comments followed reports that 40 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli shelling and Israel had accused Gaza militants of violating the US- and UN-brokered truce by firing rockets and mortars.
An official in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Hamas and other armed groups in the Gaza Strip had “flagrantly violated the ceasefire”. But the official did say whether or not he was referring to the 10am mortar fire. It now seems the reason was the alleged kidnapping.
Tunnels have been at the heart of Israel’s Gaza offensive, and were one of the central stumbling blocks to a ceasefire, with Israel demanding forces remain in Gaza to take out the tunnel system which threatens Israel’s southern communities and army bases.
Under the ceasefire, troops on the ground in Gaza were to continue to destroy tunnels along the heavily guarded frontier, but only those that are behind Israeli defensive lines and lead into Israel.
The IDF claim that Hamas broke the ceasefire after attacking soldiers working on the tunnels, as stipulated by the agreement, while Hamas says the attack took place before the ceasefire came into place.
Though the ceasefire deal allows forces to remain on the ground it was far from certain Hamas accepted they would be allowed to use explosives to demolish the tunnels, thus explaining the mutual accusations regarding the breach in the ceasefire.
At least four short humanitarian cease-fires have been announced since the conflict began, but each has been broken within a few hours by renewed fighting. Friday’s temporary cease-fire was the longest to be announced thus far.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid said Thursday that Operation Protective Edge will continue until the last tunnel connecting Gaza to Israel will be destroyed.
Similar comments were made earlier by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said “We have neutralized dozens of terror tunnels and we are committed to complete this mission, with or without a cease-fire.
As the extent of the tunnel warren and the lethal threat it poses became known, accusations were leveled against the government and military, which warned about the phenomenon years ago but apparently did not prepare adequate counter-measures.
Roi Kais, Elior Levy, Reuters and AO contributed to this report
@ NormanF:
NormanF
I understand and agree with you 100%!
@ Max:
More to the point, defeating Hamas is not something that comes without a high price. And Netanyahu is very much a risk-averse politician. If the risk is too high, it has no real upside. And taking care of two million Arabs in the wake of a Hamas defeat to him and others is akin to drinking from Hamas’ poisoned chalice. Even in death, Hamas would still win.
@ Etzel:
Human life means a great deal to Jews and rightly so. The funerals we’ve witnessed in Israel testify movingly to the Jewish belief in the value of a human life. Their mistake is in thinking the Arabs care about it. For Arabs, humans are cannon fodder. They’re a means to an end. And no human life has any worth, whether on one’s own side or on that of the enemy. This is what Israel is up against.
* Has no guts.
* Doesn’t care about defeating Hamas – is only catering to /balancing with different power groups internal and external in order for personal gain /personal power.
Hamas is not a reality to him in the way it is to others. Hamas is a political pawn in his ambition same as the Israeli public .
Etzel Said:
yep in any case Obama and Kerry are welcome there. Heroes to the Pals.
Max
It would take 1,027 John Kerry’s to equal the value of 1 Israeli soldier, I suggest that we threaten to replace the leadership of Gaza with the Obama administration and throw in all the democratic senators and several congressmen to be named later.
NormanF Said:
I watched the son of one of the founders of Hamas on Megan Kelly Show on Fox News tonight at 9:00 PM EST. He said: Hams is not political organization but a religious and ideological one who doesn’t care for the lives of all Palestinians. It believes in the killings of Jews and destruction of the state of Israel. The US President should not be a mediator but should only stand with Israel for Hamas to be totally destroyed. Israel as a democratic state should be supported by all and should not be expected to have a discussion terrorist Hamas” – (paraphrased).
To much attention has been given to the world opinion, which has not so far helped Israel and positive.
Unfortunately, reports say that Hadar Goldin, may not be alive, he may have died during the explosion.
This information was surely known and available to the higher ups….
Enter the black bastard and his buddy the turkey with the macrocephalus….
Making ‘demands’ for immediate release….
The phony bastard!
Cynically and callously milking everything he can to score points….
May he rot in hell,
I wonder if they are anti hamas salafis?
@ AbbaGuutuu:
You’re right! Leftists forget peace happened only after an enemy was defeated. That’s simply logic. But some people don’t understand logic. Hamas’ grievance is not Israeli policies like the blockade; its Israel’s existence and nothing short of Israel’s disappearance will ever satisfy Hamas.
Max Said:
The leftists mantra: “There is no military solution but political is a lie that should be rejected”. Most major wars in the world ended with military victory. Have a political discussion after victory!
No military victory is a delusional concept promoted by pacifists (mostly leftists/so called progressives).
Netanyahu failed to protect Goldin by giving the Hamas scum the benefit of the doubt AND by refusing to hunt them down and kill them ALL when he had the chance.
Isn’t it time to bomb the hamas command center at al Shifa hospital with bunker busters or warning all to evacuate the entire gaza city, destroy it, and take back north gaza at least? They should have no place to which to return
“72-hour cease-fire fails in 90 minutes – CNN”
There is still hope – now Mossad start executing the new Hamas prisoners before they are processed into the system and let Hamas know it.
Hamas is their own worst enemy – now is the time for total decimation – bomb every police station , every civil administration house and building in Gaza to dust and … no phone calls.
Do it once and it’s done. They’ll condemn Israel for (not really civilian) “civilian” casualties – but they do that anyway – do it and get it over with Do it!
CNN web news story:
The West getting smart – but too little too late.
“It’s no longer the Muslims against the Jews. Now it’s the extremists — the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah, and their backers Iran, Qatar and Turkey — against Israel and the more moderate Muslims including Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.”
“It’s a proxy war for control or dominance in the Middle East,” says CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.”
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The Israelis should kidnap Kerry and trade him for the kidnapped officer.