Posted on 12/28/2008 10:14:35 AM PST by mdittmar
"The combat vests are ready and the weapons are greased," one soldier said.
"Our parents are calling but we just don't answer,' said another.
On Sunday, IDF soldiers from a wide-range of units converged on the Gaza Strip, setting up positions along the border in the south and north. Tanks from Brigade 7 were deployed not far from the northern Gaza border as soldiers from the Paratrooper's and Golani Infantry Brigades arrived at bases throughout the south ahead of a possible operation.
Soldiers from Battalion 101 of the Paratrooper's Brigade said that they expected an operation to be launched in the coming 48 hours.
"The soldiers don't show it but they are scared," said one officer. "We are getting ready and believe that we are prepared for whatever we will face in Gaza."
On the northern edge of the border, soldiers from Battalion 75 of the 7th Armored brigade were equipping their Merkava Mk 3 tanks ahead of a potential operation in Gaza. Tanks rolled down to the border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday as soldiers prepared for a possible invasion into the Gaza Strip.
One senior officer in the Ground Forces Command told The Jerusalem Post that the tanks were being outfitted with extra equipment - including food and supplies - in order to prepare for the possibility that the forces will be deployed inside Gaza for an extended period of time.
"We are prepared for the possibility that we will need to be in Gaza for an extended period of time," the officer said.
Defense officials said that while Hamas may have advanced anti-tank missiles, it would be more difficult for the terror group to use them effectively against IDF tanks than it was for Hizbullah.
The soldiers claimed they were prepared for extended fighting in Gaza. IDF assessments are that Hamas has smuggled into Gaza a significant amount of anti-tank missiles including some Russian-made models. There is also concern that Hamas has planted large explosive devices under main access roads into Gaza which the terror group plans to detonate under Israeli armored vehicles.
"We are better prepared today than we were in 2006," one tank commander explained. "This is what we have been training for."
Very foolish in my estimation...Do no fight on the terrorists terms...Continue with the air operation...
Turn Gaza into regolith from the air, and send these kids home to their parents. There is no need to risk anyone’s life on the ground.
Isn’t it odd that we don’t hear in the news, about the Terrorists lobbing rockets into Israel at all...but when the Israelis defend themselves...it’s ALL OVER THE NEWS???
I hate the SLIME Media!
The Palis aren’t going to invade, they would get slaughtered. They will just continue their terrorists attacks via rockets and the suicide bombers, helped by their enablers in the US media and Europe. Now if I were the IDF the first rocket attack I would launch air strikes each day until rocket attacks stopped. Same with the hell bent for hell suicide bombers.
I’m pretty sure the Israeli intelligence is actively monitoring the ground situation from the air, and have a pretty good idea where the weapons caches, safe houses, high value targets, and IED’s are at. I would suggest using tanks on the outskirts of the city, but not directly into the towns. Most arab streets are tiny and hard to maneuver around in. I would use APC’s, and good old fashioned grunts to clear out sections of gaza, supported by UAV’s and helicopters. Israel will probably use their elite units such as paratroopers and special forces to do much of the grunt work. Hopefully they have done their research before going in blindly like they did against Hezbollah.
Had they not given Gaza back to the terrorists, they wouldn’t have to be doing this now. I remember the scenes of the Israeli settlers being dragged off their land by IDF every time I hear of violence in, over, around Gaza.
Perhaps when this is over they will have reclaimed the Gaza Strip - hope so. Now that it has been exposed to the world that it was going to be used ONLY to attack Israel, they will be in the perfect position to hold onto it and nobody (sane) could blame them.
Hey, you started it.
The terrorist's term are when Israel doesn't fight back at all...but "boots on the ground" IS the solution here.
They should drive house-to-house. Any house that has a weapon and a "man" over the age of 16 should be leveled and the male occupants drug into the streets and killed. Every one.
That word will spread fast and soon IDF troops will enter neighborhoods that are quiet...and have large arsenals piled up in the middle of the street ready to be carried away.
>>>>>I hate the SLIME Media!<<<<<<
Those dirty Israelis!
300 Palestineans dead!!!!
300 innocent civilians dead!!!!
(ummmm....errr....well, yes, 180 were Hamas “policemen” ACCORDING TO PALI TV NEWS)
We have to depend on Pali TV as the only media truthkeeper for this one.
/sarc
Don’t start.
There are entire sites devoted to Israeli soldierettebabes.
Perhaps when this is over they will have reclaimed the Gaza Strip - hope so. Now that it has been exposed to the world that it was going to be used ONLY to attack Israel, they will be in the perfect position to hold onto it and nobody (sane) could blame them.
Don’t they mean the weapons are cleaned and lubricated? Greased might indicate that they’re ready for storage. Cosmoline anyone?
Yep for 7 days they killed jews and the story was buried on page 12 between wedding’s and foreclosure announcements if the story was printed at all. Now the jews retaliate in self defense and go for specific threat terror targets and the world is outraged in the headlines.
Everyday is kick a presstitute in the jaw day at our house. They are lower than whale shit in the marianas trench in my opinion and need to be outed for what they are. Domestic enemies and propagandist’s.
Doom on ALL of em that lie !
Awesome pic! An AR-15, or similar type weapon can make any woman look attractive in a picture.
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