IDF publishes unclear notice – causing Hamas to panic, escape into terror tunnels.
ARUTZ SHEVA
Just after midnight on Friday morning, Israel announced that “air and ground forces from the IDF are now attacking in Gaza. More details to follow.”
The military columnists in Israel understood that this meant the armored corps and artillery deployed near Gaza will attack, but the unclear notice led foreign reporters to report the beginning of a ground operation in Gaza.
Now it has been clarified that the unclear announcement was a planned trick by the IDF to eliminate a large number of Hamas terrorists within a short time.
Infantry, artillery, and tanks were moved towards the IDF border, and Hamas believed that Israel was about to begin a ground invasion. As a result, Hamas sent its fighters into its underground tunnel system beneath Gaza City.
On Thursday night, the IDF brought in 160 aircraft and dropped 450 bombs containing over 80 tons of explosives, hitting 150 terror targets in 35 minutes. Hamas’ underground city was hit with enormous force, and the IDF collapsed the terror tunnel system, on the heads of the terrorists hiding in the tunnels.
During the attack, many kilometres of terror tunnels were destroyed. As of now, neither Israel nor Hamas is clear on the exact scope of the damage, but according to estimates, a large number of terrorists were buried in the sands beneath Gaza.
@ peloni1986:
I don’t care about Bibi’s or anybody else’s statements or their purported PR or political skills.
I also don’t understand why they keep blabbing about how many Hamasniks they have killed including publishing the list of their names.
Do they feel guilty for defending their country and feel the need to report their progress to the “world community” to show that their defensive actions are justified?!?!
I thought that a military force’s actions should remain secret – but I am not an Israeli general who got his training in the US.
Why don’t they just shut up and do their job, and stop the rockets from falling and smash Hamas and Islamic Jihad to smithereens instead of boasting how they slowed them down and prevented them from replenishing their rocket supply for A WHOLE MONTH!
This is SHAMEFUL!
If they feel that they won’t have enough ammunition without the American support, then they have to use what they have very efficiently and in the deadliest way possible instead of whining that they depend on their colonial master (who supplies their enemies) for their war materiel.
@ Reader:
Agreed. Given Bibi’s statements today, it will be very difficult for him to accept one. I don’t believe he would have made these remarks if he had any intention of doing so.
This is true. But not in the way I think you mean it. Honestly, Reader, I believe you are too skeptical and too critical of the man. Forgive me if I misjudge your innuendo here, but you must be fair and admit the import and prestige that Bibi’s PR skills afford the defense of the state against all of our many enemies. PR is very important. The psychological war that is being waged against us, as Adam reflected on earlier today, is very one-sided, and this failing leaves us with unfortunate consequences to deal with regarding trade, defense and peace. The response that is offered beyond Bibi’s conversations with the world, so to speak, are both limited and ineffective, for the most part. And Bibi, in all honesty, can not take too large a role in changing this. His role in facing the PR onslaught is very important and no one is as accomplished at this as Bibi is. As per usual, the press will always be against us. But Bibi doesn’t need the press. He circumvents their abuses and speaks fluently and forcefully in defense of Israel directly to the public of the world. He is known to the public throughout the world as he has built a relationship with them since the early 1990’s and has honed it with finesse and precision. Bibi’s abilities allow him to competently express our case directly to the world in a way that none other can wield as capably or as strategically as he can. And its significance can not be overstated, especially in times of war.
@ Edgar G.:
Thank God.
I hope they’ll keep ignoring those requests to save their enemies.
@ peloni1986:
Netanyahu never forgets his PR.
The truth is, this situation is qualitatively different and a most serious existential threat to Israel.
I’ve been thinking for a while (I don’t remember whether I posted it here before) about what will happen if there is a war and there are 2 million Arabs in Gaza, 2 million Arabs inside Israel, and 2 million Arabs in the “West Bank” all fighting against Israel at the same time (that’s in addition to the possible thousands of rockets from Lebanon and attacks from other Arab states).
This situation has to be nipped in the bud and all the weapons caches and the terror organizations thoroughly destroyed.
Also, Jerusalem and “the territories” must be declared non-negotiable, the Oslo Accords terminated, and some serious planning must start regarding the removal of the 5th column.
All calls for a ceasefire must remain unanswered.
The IDF spokesman is now denying that the “miscommunication” about Israeli ground forces was a “trick” to deceive Hamas through the foreign press, and thus enable the attack on the Hamas tunnel system. Now the IDF spokesman is insisting that the reference to ground forces participating in the attack was a simple “miscommunication for which he “takes responsibility. He denied that the IDF press spokesman engages in “psychological warfare.” I believe that he is telling the truth.
This was all reported in an article in RT, which looks authentic to me. Everyone can decide for themself whether it is accurate.
@ peloni1986:
Well, this is very telling. Bibi has come out and made some very uncompromising statements that will be difficult to walk away from: “We need to remember and tell ourselves this: We are right and we can’t come to terms with this terror, with this savagery, with this violence,” and “I know there are those who say, ‘we won’t let terror ruin our routine,’ this isn’t true,”
The added emphasis is my own.
It would seem that Bibi too has grown weary of mowing the lawn every few years as Ted referenced in another post. His statement is more than posturing, I think. He means to complete this task.
From the TOI Live Blog 5min ago
@ Edgar G.:
Yes, Edgar, I saw the report – a very good early response from Bibi, I think. Bibi’s most ardent foes should shower him with high praise(very unlikely) for his fortitude against the early wave of pressure, pregnant, no doubt, with the expectation that he would do as has been done in the past and ‘accept a truce’ with these militant terrorist hungry for war. Leaving these terrorists toothless(i.e. missile-less) if not completely neutralized would be a pleasant and truly an appropriate response to their aggressions. But I also saw a report that the red-haired clown acting as a Press Secretary suggested that the US might not replenish the Iron Dome rocket(I wasn’t aware that the Iron Dome rockets were manufactured in the US.) while paying those terrorist Bast__ds $75 million – a predictable sense of balance from the Big Guy. Even if the US were not to move forward with this threat, and the threat was pretty evident, I think, there will be a lot of pressure from all parties for Israel to act not in her own interest as per usual. The world, of course, has their expectations based on a long history of Israel reacting with an expected acquiescence as has been the case in past assaults from Gaza. To break with this expected reaction, which has been a tradition ripe with ill-effect, will be a happy change, but some traditions are difficult to break when there is such expectations to the contrary. But the Arabs in fact have already broken with the traditions established in past assaults. The employment of the Israeli Arabs in a coordinated attack with their onslaught from Gaza should have many consequences for all parties. As Bennett so astutely stated, “this is a reality-changing event” and it very much is that. Consequently, I believe that replacing the untenable tradition of Israel’s acquiescence to fit international exceptions with a more appropriate response of neutralizing the threat will actually act to prevent such attacks in the future – I don’t believe they expected this to continue as it has. With this in mind, let us hope Bibi’s wise decision in pursuing this change of policy is pursued to its appropriate conclusion.
@ Bear Klein:
I hope this will prove to be the case here, Bear. Israel’s response in this is not just warranted, it is very much needed to continue regardless of the wishes from the friends of our enemies.
@ peloni1986:
Cease fires can be elusive. Predicting when they happen is not more than guess work. Then do they hold and for how long.
@ peloni1986:
Arutz has an article which says that Israel refused a cease fire request. Reader, please note also.
All good but I think it’s also essential that the television, radio, cell phone, and internet stations be taken out in order to cut the stream of enemy propaganda and incitement as well as communications through a combination of bombing – after warning everyone to get out as usual – and jamming. Counter-measures to undermine enemy morale should also be prepared. These are the only voices they should be able to hear except perhaps for fake jihadist broadcasts to make them go in the wrong directions and cause confusion and disorganization.
@ Adam Dalgliesh:
Exactly.
To me all this triumphant noise sounds like damage control after they followed the old script for the 1st several days with an “endless response” and “making Hamas regret it”, and not handling the riots, etc.
I really hope they don’t cave in again to the pleas from the “world community” for a cease fire (which means that Israel is winning and has to be stopped to let the Arab terrorists recover on to perfect their weapons).
@ Bear Klein:
It seems that this may be what the friends of Hamas fear. TOI is reporting that “Gaza ceasefire appears increasingly likely over weekend”. It will be interesting to see if the Israeli gov’t resists this mounting pressure by the international eforts of the EU, US, etc. to preserve some vestige of their missile trading friends or if the Israeli gov’t will stand up to such pressure and do the difficult task and complete this planned destruction of Hamas as should have been completed for many years now.
Again, this is all based on no-sourced sources – TOI has a never failing tendency to not disappoint by their lack of efforts to commit journalism, even by mistake.
I was just watching the Israeli TV news and seeing videos and interviews in Gaza.
Arabs leaving their apartments with suitcases because they live in buildings Hamas uses. The IDF has told them to leave as they will blow up these buildings. The IDF has indeed been doing this.
IDF is smashing Hamas!!
An optimistic assessment of the Gaza operation in today’s Arutz Sheva:
@ Adam Dalgliesh:
Except the Israeli media would not cover for the IDF English twitter spokesman and it worked!! They fell into a trap. Bibi also participated in the ruse.
On the Hebrew TV news sites they have discussed this successful ruse in depth. It was combined with the heavy build up of ground forces on the Border which Hamas can see with the naked eye.
The terrorists will be near the tunnel openings if they are anticipating a ground attack. They get ready to jump out and surprise the IDF. Hamas tunnel builder previously came to Israel with maps in hand, so Israel may know quite a bit about the underground tunnel system and bunkers.
Now the Israli press said that Israel delibertely misled Hamas ito thinking that it was launching a ground invasion of Gaza, in order to lure Hamas politicians and soldiers into the tunnel system, where they would die in the IDF bombardment. To me, this srrms like after-the-fact “spin” to justify the confused language in the earlier report.