The New York Times reports that Israeli troops backed by helicopters advanced into Gaza on Saturday in the first ground action of an eight-day offensive against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave. The small column of military vehicles crossed the boundary fence into the northern Gaza Strip under darkness, said a witness, a resident of Beit Lahiya. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the incursion and said the aim was to seize areas from where Hamas was launching rocket attacks on southern Israel.
A little more than one week ago, Israel started air raids into Gaza complaining of Hamas firing rockets into Israel. The violence has escalated on calls for a Hamas ceasefire, which they have resisted.
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Israel occupied Gaza in the 1967 Middle East War and after Palestinian uprisings formally ended its military rule in 2005, although it still controls the borders.
International peace efforts aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state foundered after Hamas won elections in 2006 and drove Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from Gaza a year later.
Hamas called off a six-month truce with Israel last month and stepped up the rocket attacks, complaining at Israeli raids into Gaza and a continuing blockade of the enclave.
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plez sez: the middle east is a political quagmire, one of which i'm ill suited to devle into in a short post. the long and short of it is, israel is america's main ally in the region and israel will be protected at all costs... period! you don't have to like it, but it is what it is!
hamas took control of the palestinians during the last election and they are considered a rogue terrorist organization. it was only a matter of time before hamas would grow the cajones to launch an attack - no matter how feeble and half-baked - on israel. they had to know that israel was going to hit back... and hit back HARD. the blood of those dead woman and children in gaza is on the hands of hamas.
they are not going to drive israel (and the u.s.) from the region; they would be wise to set down their arms and stop the senseless bloodshed of their own people. they will never win an armed conflict with the israelis... NEVER!
~ ~ Citations ~ ~
Read the New York Times article about the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
Read the Washington Post article about Israeli troops entering Gaza.
Read the CNN.com article about the new Gaza conflict.
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