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Operation Cast Lead – Update No. 1 1 | |||||||||||
Overview 1. At 11:30 on December 27 Israeli Air Force planes struck a number of targets of Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations in an operation dubbed “Cast Lead.” The attack came in response to a long period of rocket and mortar shell fire targeting populated areas in the western Negev , causing casualties and property damage, and seriously disrupting the daily lives of the residents. Hamas and the other organizations responded to the Israeli attack with rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel . The IAF strikes and the terrorist organization attacks continued into December 28 and 29. Objectives 2. The objective of Operation Cast Lead is to protect the quarter of a million Israelis living in the western Negev from the continual rocket and mortar shell fire and other terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip. The operation intends to strike a severe blow to the terrorist networks of the various organizations and make it difficult for them to carry out rocket and mortar shells attacks, abductions and other types of lethal attacks originating in the Gaza Strip. 3. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that the action was intended primarily to improve the security of the residents of southern Israel , although it was liable to take time and patience would be required to complete the mission (announcement by the prime minister to foreign and local correspondents, December 27). On December 27 Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel would strike a strong blow against Hamas to make fundamental changes in the security situation and ensure that no more rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip and that no other attacks were carried out. He said it would not be easy and the operation would not be short, but as deep and broad as required (Haaretz, December 28). Background 4. Since 2001 the residents of the western Negev have lived under the threat of rocket fire, which gradually became one of the central means of attack employed by the Palestinian terrorist organizations. Since 2001,3984 rockets and 3,943 mortar shells have been launched at Israel , 2 seriously disrupting the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of western Negev residents, and causing personal injury and property damage. 3 5. The Egyptian-brokered lull arrangement which went into effect on June 19, 2008 , was supposed to bring quiet to the residents of the western Negev and the Gaza Strip. However, in reality, using a variety of excuses, from its inception the terrorist organizations violated the arrangement . During the six months of the lull, the terrorist organizations fired 223 rockets and 139 mortar shells , most of them during the six weeks between November 4 and December 19. 4 6. In addition, Hamas and the other terrorist organizations exploited the lull to build up their military capabilities, including smuggling vast amounts of weapons into the Gaza Strip through tunnels dug under the border with Egypt (including rockets with a range long enough to reach the outskirts of the city of Beersheba). They ramped up their military training, prepared an extensive underground network of tunnels and developed weapons of their own (See the Appendix for a list of Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center Bulletins dealing, among other things, with the terrorist organizations' military buildup). 7. The lull arrangement, which was continually subjected to gross violations, finally expired on December 19, when Hamas and the other terrorist organizations formally announced it had ended. Once it was over, the terrorist organizations began attacking Israel with rocket and mortar shell fire. The attacks peaked on December 24, when at least 60 rockets and mortar shells were fired, most of them by Hamas, at the cities of Ashqelon , Netivot and Sderot, and at the populated areas close to the Gaza Strip. Hamas spokesmen also threatened to widen the range of the missile fire and to initiate suicide bombing attacks in an attempt to limit Israel 's freedom of action and ability to respond, and to force it to open the Gaza Strip crossings even as rocket and mortar shell fire continued. 8. To realize its terrorist policy, Hamas repeatedly demonstrated it was ready to sacrifice the basic interests of the Gaza Strip Palestinians . That was manifested on December 24, when the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings were shelled, the former vital for delivering supplies from Israel into the Gaza Strip and the latter for the passage into Israel of Palestinians with humanitarian needs. In recent years the crossings, which are lifelines for the Gazans, have been attacked, contributing to the difficulties in managing them and leading to the shortages and hardships in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Air Force Attack on the First Day of Operation Cast Lead 9. At around 11:30 on December 27, the Israeli Air Force attacked many targets of Hamas and the other terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip. The targets had been marked by intelligence collected during the months preceding the attack. Fighter planes and attack helicopters carried out approximately 180 sorties, targeting Hamas headquarters, command posts, training camps and weapons stores. During the day launching squads on their way to fire rockets and mortar shells were also attacked, as were rocket launching sites (IDF Spokesman, December 27). According to the Palestinian media, on December 27, 250Palestinians were killed and more than 750 injured . Information about some of the targets follows: Headquarters and Bases 10. On December 27 headquarters, bases, training camps and weapons stores belonging to Hamas's military-terrorist wing and its security services were attacked:
Rocket Launching Sites and Squads 11. On December 27 a number of squads on their way to launch rockets were attacked. An underground rocket launching site located in a residential area was also hit.
Left: Underground pit from which rockets were launched, located near residential buildings. Weapons Manufacturing Facilities 12. The Israeli Air Force attacked facilities used for the manufacture and storage of weapons , including lathes for producing rockets. The Palestinian media reported that a lathe belonging to the Barke family in Khan Yunis and two others, one in Gaza City and one in Rafah, were attacked on the night of December 27. Communications 13. Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV : Before dawn on December 28, Al-Aqsa TV station was attacked, Hamas's main propaganda tool . According to reports in the Palestinian media, no one was injured and only the building suffered damage. Broadcasting stopped for a short time and was later resumed. The station's CEO appeared in a broadcast to say that the station had moved to another location (Al-Aqsa TV, December 28). Al-Aqsa TV broadcasts propaganda and incitement against Israel and is often used by the terrorist organizations to claim responsibility for attacks against Israel . Palestinian Casualties 14. According to the Palestinian media, on December 27 more than 250 Palestinians were killed in IAF air strikes and more than 750 were wounded . Most of those killed belonged to Hamas, its internal security services and to other terrorist organizations. A number of senior figures were also killed:
15. Most of the casualties either wore Hamas uniforms and carried its weapons or worked for it. According to Palestinian media reports, a small number of civilian were also injured because Hamas headquarters and bases were located in populated areas. UNRWA's commissioner general for the Palestinian Authority, Karen Abu Ziyyad, announced the death of one of the organization's employees, who was in a police station in Gaza at the time. She made it clear that the organization was no connection between UNRWA and Hamas. When asked by CNN on December 27 why the civilian population had been harmed, she said that many civilians had been killed because of the density of the population and the fact that civilian buildings were close to strategic targets . Massive Rocket Fire into Israel 16. Hamas responded to the IDF attack with intensive rocket fire , most of it long-range, and mortar shells. On December 27, 61 rocket hits were identified in Israeli territory and 33 mortar shells were fired . 5Dozens of rockets hit the cities of Sderot, Ashqelon and Netivot, as well as villages near them. One Israeli civilian was killed, 11 were wounded and 11 went into shock :
17. Hamas claimed responsibility for most of the rocket fire and threatened to continue it. The Gaza Strip Crossings into Israel and Egypt 18. Despite the massive attacks against Israel before and during Operation Cast Lead, the Israel government authorized the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip on the eve of the operation. On December 26, Defense Minister Ehud Barak authorized the passage of trucks carrying medical equipment, fuel and cooking gas, as well as a wide variety of other goods, through the Kerem Shalom, Nahal Oz and Karni crossings. A spokesman for the UN secretary general told a press conference that more than 100 trucks had passed through the crossings, including 40 for relief agencies operating in the Gaza Strip (website of the French Embassy in the United States , December 27). 19. On December 28, the second day of Operation Cast Lead, additional trucks carrying humanitarian aid were permitted to enter the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing. On December 28, 23 trucks passed through (IDF Spokesman, December 28). 20. Egypt , which had recently criticized Hamas, said it would open the Rafah crossing to allow wounded Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to receive medical treatment in Egypt , and that it would send ambulances, equipment and drugs to the Gaza Strip (Palestinian media, December 27). Public Disturbances in Judea and Samaria , and among Israeli Arabs 21. Operation Cast Lead led to public disturbances in Judea and Samaria and in East Jerusalem to protest the IDF action in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of Palestinians demonstrated on Salah Al-Din street in East Jerusalem , setting fire to dumpsters and confronting police. In one incident a Palestinian tried to run over a policeman, who was not seriously injured; the attacker was detained. Near the village of Beitar Illit a child was injured when Palestinians threw stones. 22. Israeli Arabs also protested the IDF action in the Gaza Strip, marching in protest in a number of cities with mixed Jewish-Arab populations (Acre, Nazareth , Jaffa ). In some instances stones were thrown at cars. First Reactions to Operation Cast Lead Hamas 23. Khaled Mashal , head of Hamas's political bureau in Damascus , said that Hamas would not surrender or let Israel enforce a lull arrangement on Israeli terms. He said the Palestinians would not compromise on two basic demands: an immediate stop to the attacks in the Gaza Strip, and the lifting of the “siege” forever. He called on Egypt and Saudi Arabia to meet their commitments to the Palestinians. He claimed Hamas was not a threat to Egypt , and praised its efforts to open the crossings and deliver aid to the Gaza Strip (Al-Jazeera TV, December 28). ( Note : as opposed to other Hamas spokesmen, who continue attacking Egypt ). 24. Khaled Mashal also called on the residents of the West Bank to rise up against Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, despite the fact that he was aware they were “exhausted.” He exhorted them to go out into the streets and ignite a military intifada against Israel , waging a jihad and carrying out suicide bombing attacks (Al-Quds TV and Al-Jazeera TV, December 28). 25. Other senior Hamas figures said the following on December 27:
26. Although the IDF attack was precise, and those killed were mainly terrorist organization military and security operatives, Hamas, as usual, initiated a deceptive propaganda campaign intended to vilify Israel and represent it as attacking civilians. The attacks were described using the Arabic terms for “slaughter,” “holocaust” and “genocide.” The campaign was echoed by the popular TV station Al-Jazeera, which, as usual, acted as a mouthpiece for Hamas, showing pictures of parts of dead bodies and the wounded, and using the term “holocaust.” The Palestinian Authority 27. On December 27 Palestinian chairman Mahmoud Abbas was in Saudi Arabia , and on December 28 in Egypt . He met with the Saudi Arabian king Abdallah and with Egypt President Hosni Mubarak to discuss the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip. Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina criticized the Israeli “aggression” and demanded that the international community put an end to it (Wafa News Agency, December 27). Mahmoud Abbas called for stabilizing a new lull, saying that Egypt would renew its efforts to effect one (Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, December 28). The Salam Fayyad government announced an emergency medical service situation and three official days of mourning. 28. The Palestinian media reported that there were strikes and protest demonstrations in cities in Judea and Samaria . In Ramallah there were a number of demonstrations, and at one of them, in the northern part of the city, demonstrators confronted IDF soldiers. In Nablus there were three protest marches attended by hundreds; in Bethlehem there was a demonstration attended by a few dozen people; in Tulkarm there was a widely-attended protest march; in Hebron there was a protest march of hundreds of people. Hatem Abd al-Qader , chairman of the Fatah Jerusalem committee, announced a general strike of all the Palestinian workers in Jerusalem . Lebanon 29. Senior Hezbollah figures condemned the IDF attacks, claiming that it was the result of an American decision and an Arab “conspiracy.” Hezbollah spokesmen encouraged the Gazans to adhere to their positions and to refuse all concessions, and called on the Arab world, the UN and the Security Council to stop the “crimes” being carried out in the Gaza Strip. Omar al-Musawi , a member of Hezbollah's political bureau, accused Egypt and the Palestinian Authority of colluding with Israel , and said they were responsible for the events in the Gaza Strip (Al-Jazeera TV, December 27). 30. In the southern (Shi'ite) suburb of Beirut there was a protest demonstration attended by hundreds of Lebanese in front of the Egyptian embassy. In the Ein al-Hilweh, Nahr al-Bared and Al-Badawi refugee camps Palestinians held protest demonstrations. At the demonstration at Ein al-Hilweh the demonstrators yelled “Hosni Mubarak, agent, traitor to the [Arab] nation.” 31. On December 25, two days before the Operation Cast Lead began, the Lebanese army dismantled eight rockets , with delay mechanisms, aimed at Israel . They were north of the town of Nakura in the western sector; their location was reported by a local resident. Four of the of them were 122mm Grad rockets, and four 107mm rockets.
32. So far it is unclear which terrorist organization tried to attack Israel with rockets and violate the quiet in place along the Lebanese border since the end of second Lebanon war. The Hezbollah headquarters in south Lebanon said that the organization did not customarily place “anonymous rockets” and that “when [Hezbollah] wants to shell places in the enemy country it will make an announcement taking responsibility” (Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, December 27). The Lebanese media suggested that Fatah al-Islam , a radical Sunni Islamist group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, was responsible (Al-Safir, December 27), or possibly a “well-organized”Palestinian network (Al-Hayat, December 27). Responses from the Arab-Muslim World Egypt 33. Egyptian Foreign Minister Abu al-Ghait attacked Hamas at a press conference broadcast by Egyptian television ( December 27, 1300 hours). He said that Egypt had repeatedly warned Hamas about “the situation,” and that if [Hamas] did not listen it would have to bear responsibility, and could not blame others. He added that Israel had publicly warned Hamas that if the rocket fire continued, Israel would employ a military response. He angrily noted that before Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni came to Egypt on Thursday, 60 rockets had been fired into Israeli territory, an attempt to sabotage the Egyptian efforts to reach a lull and a reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. 34. Other Egyptian spokesmen criticized the IDF action but some of them pointed the finger of guilt at the Palestinians. For example, a presidential announcement stated that Egypt had warned against military escalation and the effect it would have on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the stability of the Middle East . The Israelis and Palestinians, according to the announcement, had not cooperated with Egyptian efforts, but nevertheless Egypt would continue pressing for a new lull arrangement (Middle East News Agency, December 27). Abu al-Ghait said that Egypt still called for all the organizations to come to Cairo to deliberate, and for the Palestinians to close ranks (Middle East News Agency, December 27). 35. The Egyptian media also reported on Egyptian activity through various diplomatic channels : Egypt protested the IDF action to Israeli foreign minister and the Egyptian foreign minister sent urgent messages to the UN Secretary General, the Quartet and the members of the Security Council to stop the IDF action. An “Egyptian source” said that Egypt had informed Hamas in the Gaza Strip that it was willing to accept Gazans wounded in the Israeli attack and would send convoys of medical aid to the Gaza Strip (Middle East News Agency, December 27). An Egyptian security source said that the Egyptian security forces had deployed additional men along the Gaza Strip border lest the Palestinians try to break through (Agence France Presse, December 26). Syria 36. Syrian President Bashar Assad held telephone conversations with Arab leaders and called for an exceptional Arab summit to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and ways of stopping the “Israeli aggression” (Syrian News Agency, December 27). Syrian presidential aide Butheina Shaaban called the events in the Gaza Strip “slaughter and merciless murder.” She criticized the international silence and said that Hamas was the legitimate government and leadership of the Palestinian people (Al-Jazeera TV, December 27). 37. A protest march was held in Al-Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus , attended by supporters of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations. There were also protest marches inAleppo and a mass march was expected to be held in Damascus on December 28. 38. During the days the preceded the Israeli attack the Syrian media supported Hamas's decision to end the lull arrangement, as well as the escalation in rocket and mortar shell fire initiated by Hamas and the other terrorist organizations. Their support was part of a vicious anti-Israeli propaganda campaign, accompanied by anti-Semitic references, waged by Syria against Israel . 6 Iran 39. Hassan Qashqawi , a speaker for the Iranian foreign ministry, and other Iranian spokesmen, harshly criticized the Israel attack and demanded that the international community and the Security Council intervene to prevent Israel from continuing its “crimes” and “terrorism” in the Gaza Strip. In Tehran and Qom students held protest demonstrations (December 27 and 28). 40. There were also reports that an Iranian aid ship was supposed to leave the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran and set sail for the Gaza Strip on December 27 with a cargo of 2,000 tons of medical equipment and food. A team of Red Crescent workers and a number of correspondents are also on board. The trip is supposed to take two weeks (Al-Alam TV, December 25). The Iranian foreign minister Mottaki said that Iran had received authorization from Egypt to transfer the aid to Gaza (Islamic Republic News Agency, December 27). Jordan 41. King Abdallah of Jordan appealed to the international community to exert pressure on Israel to stop its attack on the Gaza Strip immediately. He also contacted other Arab leaders to promote an Arab effort which would end the Israeli action and bring about a return to the negotiating table (Jordanian News Agency, December 27). 42. On December 27 a solidarity rally attended by thousands was held in Amman ; it turned into a march. A number of Islamic Movement activists gave speeches criticizing the Arab world for its position vis-à-vis the events. The crowd shouted “Death to Israel .” Jordanian security forces prevented the march from reaching the Egyptian embassy. There were other rallies throughout Jordan in support of the Palestinian people. Appendix Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center Bulletins about Hamas, 2008 1. December 21: Intensive rocket fire attacks against western Negev population centers and the Ashqelon region after Hamas announces the end of the lull arrangement, at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_e018.htm . 2. December 18: Escalation in attacks from the Gaza Strip as Hamas announces the end of the lull arrangement, at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_e016.htm . 3. November 16: Significant erosion of the lull arrangement in the Gaza Strip 4. November 6: Escalation in the Gaza Strip – Update, November 6 . 5. November 5: Escalation in the Gaza Strip: the IDF operated inside the Gaza Strip near the security fence to prevent the abduction of soldiers. 6. November 4: Society and politics in the Gaza Strip 7. October 28: Hamas has lately regulated the flourishing tunnel industry in the Gaza Strip, athttp://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ct_e009.htm . 8. September 7: As part of the Gaza Strip military buildup, women are trained for combat and for suicide bombing attacks. 9 . August 18: Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations are taking advantage of the lull in the fighting to promote their military buildup, at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_e003.htm . 10. July 27: One month into the lull in the fighting: an interim report (as at July 23) . 11. June 22: Using civilians as human shields, at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/gaza_120608e.htm . 12. May 5: The Egyptian initiative for a lull in the fighting . 13. April 22: On Passover Eve IDF forces prevented a combined mass-casualty attack at the Kerem Shalom Crossing, at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ct_210408e.htm . 14. March 3: Five days of escalation in the Gaza Strip . 15. February 10: Renewed escalation of Hamas rocket fire at western Negev towns and villages (Summary of events, February 5-7) . 16. February 3: Suicide bombing attack in the Dimona commercial center kills one city resident and wounds many . 18. January 23: Crowds of Gazans streamed into Egypt after the border fence was breached . 19. January 22: Closing the crossings into the Gaza Strip and renewing the fuel supply – the situation on the ground as of noon, January 22, 2008. 20. January 16: Two days of hard fighting in the south: Israeli counterterrorist activities and Hamas rocket attacks (January 15-16) . 1 Until further notice, updates on Operation Cast Lead and its implications will replace the weekly Wednesday bulletins. 2 The data are updated to December 27 and afternoon hours of the first day of Operation Cast Lead. On the morning before the operation began, one rocket and two mortar shells were fired. 3 For further information see our December 14, 2007 Bulletin entitled “ Rocket threat from the Gaza Strip, 2000-2007 ,” and our May 25, 2008 Bulletin entitled “ Anti-Israeli Terrorism in 2007 and its Trends in 2008 .” 4 The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center Bulletin “The Anatomy of Six Months of the Lull Arrangement “ is available on the Hebrew website and will be shortly translated into English.. 5 As of 1600 hours, December 28, 12 rocket hits were identified in Israeli territory and 10 mortar shells were fired. This Bulletin does not include attacks carried out on December 28. 6 Ghazi al-Dada wrote an anti-Semitic column for the Syrian newspaper Tishrin, saying that “the Israeli appetite for Palestinian blood is never satisfied…That is because [bloodthirstiness] is a basic component of Zionist ideology, which believes that Palestinian blood is necessary for making Zion matzot (a political use of the ancient blood libel against the Jews). Anyone who reads history closely knows that…”(Tishrin, December 23). The Syrian media occasionally inserts anti-Semitic motifs into its attacks on Israel . | |||||||||||
sábado, 3 de janeiro de 2009
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center - ISRAEL
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