Posted on 07/13/2014 9:52:26 AM PDT by PoloSec
(Reuters) - Thousands fled their homes in a Gaza town on Sunday after Israel warned them to leave ahead of threatened attacks on rocket-launching sites, on the sixth day of an offensive that Palestinian officials said has killed at least 160 people.
Militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip kept up rockets salvoes deep into the Jewish state and the worst bout of Israel-Palestinian bloodshed in two years showed no signs of abating, and Western foreign ministers meeting on Sunday said a ceasefire was an urgent priority.
Israeli forces dropped leaflets into the town of Beit Lahiya near Gaza's northern border with Israel. They read: "Those who fail to comply with the instructions to leave immediately will endanger their lives and the lives of their families. Beware."
The Israeli military told the residents of three of Beit Lahiya's 10 neighborhoods to get out of the town of 70,000 by midday on Sunday. U.N. officials said some 4,000 people had fled south to eight schools run by the world body in Gaza City.
A senior Israeli military officer, in a telephone briefing with foreign reporters, said Israel would "strike with might" in the Beit Lahiya area from the late evening hours on Sunday.
He did not say if this would include an expansion of an air and naval offensive into a ground operation in the north of the narrow, densely populated Mediterranean enclave.
"The enemy has built rocket infrastructure in-between the houses (in Beit Lahiya)," the officer said. "He wants to trap me into an attack and into hurting civilians."
At schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza City, Beit Lahiya residents arrived in donkey carts filled with children, luggage and mattresses, while others came by car or taxi. One man, still in his pajamas, said some
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Hmm. Where’s the headline that says “Thousands of Israelis flee after Hamas warming”? Oh yeah; the “Palestinians” never warn.
This is a mistake. In WWII after D-Day, Allied forces accidentally killed over 60,000 innocent French civilians in retaking the nation from Hitler. IF CNN and Twitter were around then, the Nazis, like the Muslims today, would have used photos of dead French babies to undermine Allied resolve, and extend the war. Israel needs to use its element of surprise to the max, and not worry about public opinion. Both Israel AND Arabs in Gaza will be better off with Hamas destroyed.
In the days of WWII the coverage could be controlled and the media played along with government. That is no longer the case. If Israel did not make public warnings they would be castigated even worse. By doing so they at least get their story out and even the propaganda playing field.
If you were to read Martin van Creveld’s fascinating book, The Transformation of War, you would see that Israel will lose even if it wins. Israel will be viewed by the world as the aggressor against a weaker opponent no matter what happens from here on. Sad to say, this low-level conflict, with random attacks and both sides lobbing rockets at the other, will continue with no resolution. There won’t be any more WWII type wars in the foreseeable future.
I was hoping that countries that still had stable established leaders put aside their differences and together blew ISIS off the planet.
Maybe I listened to too much 1960s folk music. I still hope for the best. But now I fear for the worst, much worse than we could ever have imagined back then.
I am afraid you are right.
They will never “put aside” their differences. Arabs will always use and abuse the so called Palestinians...as they are their weapon and their excuse for a war they won't fight outright. Rather hit or miss and deliberately agitate situations until there is war among countries.
The leadership of the Palestinians chose to align with terrorists politically...(Hamas)...knowing full well what this would mean.....they simply thought this would be yet another quick fix by Israel and they could continue as always.
This is NOT a quick fix and Israel's made it clear they are not interested in what the worlds nations think about this....they will do what they choose to deal with Hamas...and citizens will die in the crossfire.
Nobody is to blame here but the Palestinian Leaders and Hamas for joining together as they did and their consistent rocketing Israel for years now.....time to take out the trash....
What I'm speaking of is something bigger. It's ISIS. They aren't restricted by borders or a population they're responsible for. They're vicious killers with it seems no restrictions on access to weaponry or financing. Is anyone (including Israel) better off if they get access to the Med through a destabilized and very angry Gaza?
ISIS is the one on the move and grew in numbers as it's agenda became known to others who “love war”.
It's never about “the people” of a nation...rather always about the leadership, be it terrorists or nation leaders. No matter how “wonderful” the people might appear. ‘They’ will generally support whoever is their leader....or fail to oppose for whatever reason. For the most part Palestinian people always want “International Intervention”.....again playing the victim.
They knew Hamas was “among them” and they have sheltered them......Even neighbors of Hamas’s people/soldiers admitted they knew who was in the building.
Islam is never restricted by borders, terrorist or not, for their agenda is to go into all nations, no matter the means of doing so, with the purpose of the Islamification of that nation....and they will utilize their people (who willingly go) to accomplish this.
Though some Arabs may indeed want peace...Islam says this can Only be obtained via Islam....and conversion of the peoples. But Israel will always be the thorn in their side...they want Jerusalem, even moreso they want Israel to cease existing.
When push comes to shove...the majority of Muslims will align with Islamic Leader's, doesn't matter if it's because they fear not to...they do align with them. It will be no different in this nation.....and it will not change in The ME...
So. . .Israel needs TOTAL war. Jam all frequencies, cut all wires. . .and leave no survivors. It’s what Hamas states IT will do. . .so turnabout is fair play. And if journalists die, too bad, so sad. . .
Literally, NO records. Flatten everything, then bulldoze it flatter.
Well, that would be a solution! In the meantime, Israeli troops can invade northern Gaza, and bulldoze that northern part and move the border fence southward, then mine the former northern part. At least that would push back the range of rockets from hitting Tel Aviv. A good start would be to move the border south half the distance of Gaza.
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