Gaza City – Israeli ground forces moved across the border into the northern Gaza Strip late Saturday night in an escalation of the weeklong offensive against Hamas.
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Israeli defense officials said that an estimated 30 Hamas militants had been killed in the incursion so far, though precise numbers are hard to pin down.
The United Nations, meanwhile, scheduled emergency consultations Saturday night on the escalation.
“We are not war hungry, but we shall not … allow a situation where our towns, villages and civilians are constantly targeted by Hamas,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak said. “It will not be easy or short, but we are determined.”
Barak described Israel as “peace seekers.”
“We have restrained ourselves for a long time but now is the time to do what needs to be done,” he said.
Large numbers of forces are taking part in this stage of the operation including infantry, tanks, engineering forces, artillery and intelligence with the support of the Israel Air Force, Israel navy, the Shin Bet security service and other security agencies.
Meanwhile, the cabinet has authorized an emergency call up of tens of thousands of IDF reservists.
Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said in a televised speech that Gaza will “become a graveyard” for Israeli soldiers. He appeared on Hamas’ Al Aqsa TV shortly after the ground offensive began but it was not immediately clear whether the appearance was live or taped.
After the invasion, Hamas spokespeople and militants fired off fiery warnings to the Israeli forces. In another message, Hamas warned Israeli forces that “Gaza will not be paved with flowers for you, it will be paved with fire and hell.”
Hamas has long prepared for Israel’s invasion, digging tunnels and rigging some areas with explosives. At the start of the offensive, Israeli artillery hit some of the border areas, apparently to detonate hidden explosives.
FINALLY – I HOPE THEY DO THE JOB THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
good they deserve it wish israel luck!!!
The IDF will Finish these snakes off once and for all.
Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters while they defend our land.
its about time kol hakovod
ISRAEL YOU ROCK
Hashem should and WILL help them
we should wipe out all the mamzarim and hope not for casualties to our side
Don’t stop now! Get ‘er done!
Dresden 2008!
I hope the don’t stop until gilad is returned and hamas is exiled.
Then give the place back to Egypt !
Yidden
Daven for the safety of every single heilige IDF soldier. Pour your hearts out as if you were davening for your own child.
Have bitachon that Hashem is watching out for us as He always does.
Oy vey we hope it dosent cost jewish lives
this is not a good idea for jews, and americans, they will fight back crazy, may god help us,
May Hashem be with each and every jewish soilder and citizen in this trying time. and may each and every soilder come home alive and healthy the way they were before they entered gaza.. .May nonoe of them be hurt or kidnapped Hashem Yishmor and Hashem Yerachaim!!!
rabosai remember when you pray to have in mind that its not how much soldiers and artillery that counts its all yad hashem.
Let’s da ven to Hashem. Horeshoim yeiabdu.
“Mi L’hashem ailie” Say Tehillim!!
It is wrong to send ground troops in to face death from booby traps. Wrong and unnessesary. Flatten all of Gaza from the air, from ships, and submarines, and missiles. They are going in by ground so they can ferret out the “brave palestinian fighters” hiding under beds, in so called mosques (ammo storage facilities), thus limit colateral damage of the enemies civillians. They should worry more about losing Israeli soldier’s lives. If they are worried about “Public Opinion”, forget it, in their eyes Israel is hated, no matter what. When the hatred reaches “100” on a scale of 1-100, whats the difference how you try to kill the enemy, and salvage their civilians. I see that a Moslem terror group is Not even focusing on Israel, but instead is calling for Islamists to kill Jews everywhere and anywhere they can. Please just bomb them back to the stone-age.
Yaazor V’yoshia V’yogen
Daven for all the “chayalim” that they all succeed and return safely
They are beng “moser nefesh mamesh” for Klal Yisroel and deserve our warm tefillos
may this be the last war here in galus!
A Prayer for Israel….Please Hashem Help Olmert, Barak and Livni Keep their mouths SHUT and let the IDF do their job…May Hashem Grant the IDF a swift victory and no talk of “lull” in missles becoming a cease fire until we have obliterated the Gaza Terrorist network…Oh and Hashem if you find it favorable Kick the the So-called PaleSINKIANS out of GUSH KATIF a let us build our Shuls and grow BUG FREE Lettuce once again.
please come back im afraid for our jewish brothers…………better fight them from the air…………..pleeeeeeeeease
I wish them much success, may Hashem be with them. A ground offensive involving guerilla warfare is extremely dangerous; the enemy has the natural advantage in such a setting.
What they need to do is bring in thousands of trained dogs to sniff out hiding terrorist. Lst time they sent in a 19 year old soldier to see if terrorist are hiding in this building and he got shot dead. Had they sent in a dog they would of spared his life. Unless you blow away an entire house from a distance there will be dead Israelis. But since you are dealing with secular Jews who fear world opinion the creeps like barak,olmart and livni they are more worried of world opinion. 500 Jews died first day of yom kipuur war because that secular macshseifa golda meir wanted to show the worl that we got attacked first. And the world could not care less.
Raboisai – Please make sure to Daven, say Tehillim and make the Mishebarach for them so they will be Matzliach in their efforts and all come back safely. They are doing what needs to be done. May their efforts, together with Hashem’s protection lead to a sucessful outcome.
hashem yishmor tzeischem iboiachem meatu vead olam
pleeeeeeease daven that everything should go well and they should ALL come back safely – may Hashem protect them – they are doing what needs to be done , let US do what needs to be done DAVEN AND SAY TEHILIM.
Daven for the soldiers like we davened for Mumbai
Just like in this week’sparsha; HKB”H made Yaacov avinu a havtacha before going down to mitzrayim. And with HIS siyata dishmaya we should merit the second part that he will return us bigger better and stronger.
Netzach Yisrael LO Yishaker!!!
Rally at the UN Tomorrow:
Tomorrow Jan 4th at 11:00AM in front of the UN. There is going to be a protest and support for Israel for it’s right to defend itself.
Please bring posters and tell friends to show up.
hiney lo yanum v’lo yishan…….
i hope they go all the way this time.they were always doing half a job. may hashem bless them.
My dear friends, these are bachurim and bachurot that are risking their lives so that each and every one of us has a country to call home.
While they are fighting the physical war ,all of us in the diaspora are fighting the spiritual to make that happen.
Let’s all accept a small thing upon ourselves (I.e. kavana for a certain bracha, one minyan a day, challah, anything) to do our job in this war.
Please post the good thing you’ll do and it’ll be a chizuk to others to post.
I know some of you will look at this post and say “oh that’s an nice idea but not for me”, I used to be one of you.
I accept to have kavanna for the bracha, asher yotzar. I am downloading the english version and printing it and will study it.
Hatzlacha
Rally at the UN Tomorrow:
Tomorrow Jan 4th at 11:00AM in front of the UN. There is going to be a protest and support for Israel for it’s right to defend itself.
Please bring posters and tell friends to show up.
I don’t understand all the above jibberish about bombing them to the stone age etc. Does anyone really believe that if the Israeli’s burn down Gaza to the ground that there will be peace. Even after the Six Day War, the greatest Israeli victory, the Arabs attacked after six short years. There are over 1 billion arabs surrounding Israel, do you think Israel has the power to destroy all of them? Maybe they can, but only if Israel gets wiped off the map at the same time. Tanks, planes, guns, and Kochi Votzem Yodi will not help us. We need to daven to hashem that no one should get hurt. Because what the Israeli’s are doing is basically telling Hashem, dont worry we dont need you, we will use our power to take care of the arab problem. Every yid is Olem Moleh. However, the arabs do not care about life, they are willing that one million of their own should die if means at least one Jew will die. Some people say “When one stands up to kill you, stand up first and kill him” applies to the Israeli conflict. However, that is total nonsense. When being attacked by a band of robbers it is ones duty to protect one self. But when we are dealing with a nation, it is our duty to try to make peace. Remember, we are in golus, and there are millions of Jews on all coners of the world that are now in danger because of the Israeli conflict. The people who say the bochurim should go fight and not daven are correct. Beacause if you indeed believe that Israel is supposed fight, why dont you join. And if you believe that only our teffilas will help. Why are do you support sending young men and woman into harms way, if thats not going to help anyway.
May Hashem protect us from all harm and may hashem bring Moshiach Tzidkeinu now.
oy, rebono shel olam.
Let us add a tefillah to each one of our daily tefillahs for the messengers of hashem in the war in the destruction of Hamas. We are increasing kavod shem shamayim in this final destruction of the evil enemy, then the soldiers who have experienced miracles and wonders will return home to their heritage.