Cross Posted at The Progressive Zionist
The latest round of tragedy in Southern Israel / Gaza continues unabated.
Last week, the Israelis, acting on information that the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committee was planning a major incident (re: terrorist attack) on the Egyptian / Israeli border, struck the leadership of the PRC in a targeted Air Strike and killed their Secretary General Zuhair al-Qissi. The IAF followed that up with a focused strike that killed a Rocket Team preparing to bombard Southern Israel.
This brought on an massive rain of Rocket fire directed at civilian areas of Southern Israel and had not the Iron Dome short range missle defense system been working and had not the Israeli government closed schools casualties from these rockets directed into civilian areas would have been huge.
In addition to the strikes that have threatened the lives and caused injuries to civilians in Southern Israel a number of Palestinians (23) have been killed and many more wounded (80) during the course of 23 IAF air missions. Of course, it should be noted that the militant groups firing on Israel are firing from crowded areas and using civilians as human shields. NOT too mention that all of their fire is directed solely at random CIVILIAN targets in Southern Israel.
With all the damage that is occuring though, so far Hamas has been staying out of the fighting, and at least part of it is talking with the Egyptians in an attempt to rein in Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the PRC that continue to fire. while the PRC and Islamic Jihad are saying "No" to cease fire talks.
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Islamic Jihad held a press conference on Monday warning that it would not agree to a truce with Israel while airstrikes continue to kill Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
"We will not agree on a ceasefire stipulated by Israel, neither do we accept a ceasefire while the lives of our people are taken without restraint," Jihad officials told reporters in Gaza City.
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar told Reuters in Cairo he expected a ceasefire to be reached, but the timing depended on Israel.
"I expect matters will calm down," Zahhar said. "The statements coming from them (Israel) either in public or via mediators, especially Egypt, say that they do not want escalation."
But even Hamas admits that the Israelis DO NOT want an escalation.
And Haaretz is reporting today:
Egypt negotiating between Israel and Gaza factions for ceasefire, diplomats say
"We hope that we will succeed to reach quiet tonight," said one Egyptian diplomat. Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Yaalon said that Hamas approached Egyptian intelligence and asked to pass a message to Israel regarding the renewal of calm.
"We do not carry out negotiations with Hamas," Yaalon said.
"Our response through the Egyptians was very simple, this is basically our policy since the beginning of the current administration: if you are quiet, we will be quiet, if you shoot, or plot attacks, we will hit you, and so the ball is certainly in their court."
The Egyptian diplomat who is involved in the efforts to bring about the ceasefire said that Egyptian intelligence has been talking with Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry's diplomatic-security bureau since Sunday, as well as with different Palestinian factions, with an emphasis on Hamas.
It is coming down to a matter of "who will blink first" in the fight between Israel and the Palestinian factions. The Israelis have vowed to strike continue to strike as long as the militants continue to fire into Israel or plan Terror strikes into Israel. Even the Israeli politicians outside of Likud are supporting this current round of strikes.
Labor faction chairman Isaac Herzog on Monday also expressed support for the decision to assassinate Zuhir al-Qaisi, the Popular Resistance Committee leader, on Friday, which ignited the current flare-up. "We hope that the current round of violence will end soon," he added.
Netanyahu expressed similar sentiments on Sunday at a meeting with the heads of local authorities in Ashdod. "I came to identify with the residents and with you, and to express my deep appreciation for the IDF and the Shin Bet," Netanyahu said.
Both the U.S. and the U.N. have expressed concern regarding the state of fighting in Gaza:
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also condemned rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip into southern Israel and called on all sides to try to restore calm (vb1 emphasis).
"Let me also condemn in the strongest terms the rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, which continued over the weekend," Clinton said during an appearance on Monday before the UN Security Council. "We call on those responsible to take immediate action to stop these attacks. We call on both sides - all sides - to make every effort to restore calm," Clinton said.
Let us all hope that cooler heads will prevail and the Rocket Fire and Air Strikes can come to a screeching halt.
UPDATE: IDF OFFICIALS are talking about Ground Troops should the missles continue
The recent escalation in Israel’s south, which has seen more than a million residents come under heavy rocket fire, has already been described by the IDF as “unprecedented in scope.” According to the senior officer, there is “no end in sight” to the current round of fighting.
“The IDF is prepared for any development, including a situation where we are forced to launch a ground operation,” the IDF official said. “We have everything we need and are ready to step it up if needed. There are many measures that we haven’t employed yet.”
“There is no effective control in Gaza, and no clear distinction between the political and military wings of Hamas… we are prepared to turn it up a notch,” he said
Meanwhile at the same time,
Egyptian authorities are talking about a ceasefire within 48 hours
The Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority said on Monday that he expects Israel and Gaza to reach a ceasefire within 48 hours.
"Egypt is determined to reach a ceasefire within 48 hours," said Yasser Othman, adding that a ceasfire would be reached despite current difficulties and the refusal of Israel to stop its activities in the Gaza Strip.
Othman denied claims of a Hamas legislator Yunus al-Astal, that Egypt suggested a ceasefire in exchange for supplying petrol to the Gaza Strip. He added that an Egyptian team was currently in Gaza, in order to solve the petrol supply problem.
UPDATE #2
RUMORS OF A TRUCE- Israel denies but says if no more Rockets fall there will be no more air strikes.
A ceasefire agreement has been secured between Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip and Israel, the al-Arabiya network reported Monday night.
According to the report, the truce was finalized via Egyptian mediation and without pre-conditions. However, Israeli officials denied a deal was reached, saying that airstrikes in Gaza will be halted only once rocket attacks end.
The officials did confirm that Egypt was involved in mediation efforts but said no negotiations were taking place. “Quiet will be met with quiet. Should the fire not end, we’ll see further escalation,” one official said.
Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad’s military wing Spokesman Abu Ahmed declared that should Israel not halt its airstrikes, his group will expand its rocket range and target additional Israeli cities previously spared attacks. The ball is in Israel’s court, he said, adding that a truce would require the Jewish state to halt its aggression and pledge to refrain from assassinations of terrorists.