GROUND ASSAULT STARTED IN GAZA Jan 3 at 17:30

Israeli ground forces enter Gaza in escalation: Yahoo News

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israeli tanks and troops launched a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip Saturday night with officials saying they expected a lengthy fight with Hamas militants in the densely populated territory after eight days of punishing airstrikes failed to halt rocket attacks on Israel. Hamas vowed that Gaza would be a “graveyard” for Israelis forces.

Link to the above to see fotoage of the night invasion.

Security Council to Hold Urgent Meeting in Coming Hours: Palestine News Agency

NEW YORK, January 4, 2009 (WAFA)- the International Security Council announced, late Saturday, that an urgent special session is to be held in the coming few hours to discuss the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had called, earlier tonight, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and urged him to hold an urgent Security Council meeting to issue a resolution calling on an immediate ceasefire in the Strip. In the past eight days, 465 Palestinians were killed and more than 2350 wounded in Israeli raids on the strip.

Beit Lahiya mosque hit, 460 Palestinians killed: Palestine News Network

Both warplanes and ships continued to bomb the Gaza Strip throughout Saturday, leaving 460 Palestinians dead and 2,300 injured as of 8:20 pm. Temperatures have dropped, residents are living in bitter cold and without any sense of security. The repeated cry today has been, “There is nowhere safe in Gaza.” Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, Director General of Ambulance and Emergency in the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health said today that 75 Palestinian children have been killed since the bombings began

Les troupes israéliennes sont entrées dans la bande de Gaza: Liberation

Un «nombre important de forces» militaires participent à la «deuxième phase» de l’opération contre la bande de Gaza, précise un communiqué de l’armée israélienne.

European protesters urge end to attacks on Gaza: Southern Illinois Homepage

By JILL LAWLESS LONDON – Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in European cities on Saturday against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, including protesters who hurled shoes at the tall iron gates outside the British prime minister’s residence in London. Amid increasing criticism of Israel, international diplomatic efforts are growing to end the strikes, which have killed more than 460 people and left 1,700 injured. Late Saturday, Israel launched a ground offensive, sending tanks and infantry into Gaza. In London, at least 10,000 people, many carrying Palestinian flags, marched past Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Downing Street residence to a rally in Trafalgar Square. Outside Downing Street, hundreds of protesters stopped and threw shoes at the gates that block entry to the narrow road.

A Gaza: «Nous n’avons rien, nous avons besoin de tout»: Liberation

Les eaux usées baignent les rues, le prix du pain a triplé en une semaine, les médecins craignent d’opérer faute d’être sûr de disposer d’anesthésique ou d’électricité. Sous les bombardements israéliens quotidiens, la situation devient chaque jour plus critique dans la bande de Gaza.

Israeli attack on Gaza enters the second week, Death toll climbs to 450: Ramattan News Agency, Gaza

Gaza, January 3, 2009, (Ramattan)- The Israeli attacks on Gaza entered the second week and the Israeli war planes continued on Saturday air strikes on various targets in the Gaza Strip killing and wounding several Palestinians. At least 8 Palestinians were killed and tens others wounded when an Israeli jet fighter bombarded a mosque in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza.

Tirs d’artillerie israélienne dans la bande de Gaza: Le Mond

Israël a franchi, samedi 3 janvier, une nouvelle étape dans son offensive contre le Hamas en déclenchant des tirs d’artillerie contre la bande de Gaza, ont rapporté des témoins des deux côtés de la frontière. Les tirs de l’artillerie ont commencé à 16 h 30, heure locale (15 h 30 à Paris), notamment à Beit Hanoun, Jabaliya, dans le nord de la bande de Gaza, et dans le secteur de Khan Younès dans le sud. Selon Reuters, les tirs ont provoqué une puissante explosion dans la ville de Gaza. On ignore s’il y a des victimes.

L’incursion israélienne à Gaza, minute par minute: Le Mond

2h34 : Une réunion extraordinaire du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies est annoncée dans la soirée. 22h08 : La France “condamne l’offensive terrestre israélienne contre Gaza” et estime que “cette escalade militaire dangereuse complique les efforts engagés par la communauté internationale” pour obtenir un cessez-le-feu, a déclaré samedi le ministère des affaires étrangères, se distinguant ainsi de la position émise par la présidence tchèque de l’Union européenne.

Barak: Gaza invasion won’t be short, and it won’t be easy: Ha’aretz

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Saturday that Israel’s campaign against Islamic Hamas militants in Gaza will not be short, nor will it be easy.

Israel launches a ground operation in the Gaza Strip: Ha’aretz

Initial reports from both Israel and Gaza indicated that Israel Defense Forces troops had killed dozens of Hamas gunmen as they traded heavy fire upon entering the Strip.

Israel launches ground assault into Gaza: Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Jerusalem — Israeli troops and tanks crossed into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip this evening, widening a week-old assault aimed at halting the militant Palestinian group’s rocket fire into Israel. A column of tanks, some firing their weapons, rolled into the northern part of the coastal enclave as Israeli combat helicopters flew overhead, according to Palestinian residents. Israeli television channels broadcast images of troops marching into the territory.

The New Meaning of an Old Battle in the Mideast: NY Times

WASHINGTON — In unleashing a series of punishing attacks in Gaza last week, Israel clearly aimed to hand Hamas a defeat from which it could not recover anytime soon. The campaign may succeed, experts here and in Israel say, but it could also backfire. Either way, the political consequences could reverberate throughout the Middle East, all the way to Iran, and help determine the ability of President-elect Barack Obama to pursue his stated goals of calming the Middle East through diplomacy.

Israeli Troops Launch Attack on Gaza: NY Times

JERUSALEM — Israeli tanks and troops swept across the border into Gaza on Saturday night, opening a ground war against the militant group Hamas after a week of intense airstrikes.

Jour de colère en Palestine: L’Humanite

Pour la septième journée consécutive, Israël poursuivait vendredi son offensive aérienne dans la bande de Gaza, où le bilan des bombardements s’établit à 412 morts et plus de 1800 blessés. Des dizaines de milliers de manifestants pour le “jour de colère” du Hamas en Cisjordanie.

Gaza, iniziata l’offesiva di terra Bombardata una moschea: 16 morti: Corriere Della Sera

Forze di terra israeliane sono entrate stasera in due diversi punti della Striscia di Gaza. È stata una piccola colonna di blindati israeliani a penetrare all’interno della Striscia da due località a nord, nei pressi di Beit Lahiya, lo stesso posto dove è stata colpita la moschea. Le truppe dell’Idf avanzano appoggiate da elicotteri d’attacco ma non è stato precisato sin dove siano arrivate. Israele inoltre ha posto in stato di allerta il nord del paese, in previsione di possibili ostilità anche in questa regione che confina col Libano e con la Siria. Lo ha riferito il Canale 10 della Tv.

Israel lanza sus tropas terrestres sobre la Franja de Gaza: El Pais

Caía la noche y la embestida de las fuerzas armadas israelíes por tierra, mar y aire, ha atronado en Gaza. La artillería ha entrado en acción por primera vez en el octavo día de la guerra para barrer la zona fronteriza de la franja de norte a sur. Buques de la Marina, cazabombarderos y helicópteros castigaron también el territorio palestino matando a una treintena de personas. Los milicianos de Hamás aumentaron la frecuencia de sus andanadas de cohetes en una batalla desigual como pocas. Poco después de las ocho de la noche, los carros de combate invadían por tierra atravesando el muro de hormigón por el norte de la franja.

L’armée israélienne est entrée dans la bande de Gaza: Le Mond

L’armée israélienne a franchi une nouvelle étape dans sa lutte contre le Hamas, samedi 3 janvier, en lançant une offensive terrestre d’ampleur contre la bande de Gaza. “Je peux confirmer que des troupes israéliennes sont entrées” dans le territoire, visé depuis le 27 décembre par une vaste opération israélienne, a indiqué samedi soir une porte-parole de l’armée.

Sarkozy prépare une tournée à risque au Proche-Orient: Le Figaro

La France et la Turquie continuent à s’activer pour désamorcer la crise israélo-palestinienne.

US gives Israel free rein on whether to invade Gaza

1 day ago WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush on Friday urged all able parties to press Hamas to stop firing rockets at Israel and secure a lasting ceasefire, after a week of heavy Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. His administration meanwhile gave Israel free rein over whether to send ground troops into Gaza, despite growing criticism over its handling of a conflict that has killed more than 400 Palestinians, including civilians.

Destroying Gaza, Delaying Palestine

By Bashir Abu-Manneh in ZMag

We watch in horror as Israel unleashes yet another war on the dispossessed and weak. Hundreds are killed (mostly police and civilians, not trained militants), thousands are injured, and a million and a half are terrorized, punished for defying the will of their besiegers and refusing to submit. Again the media colludes and sells a barbaric aggression on a basically defenseless and deprived population as a war between two sides, mystifying fundamental inequalities of power through words like “disproportionate response” and “ceasefire.” Again “shock and awe” is bandied about as military currency, as if it worked the first time round in Iraq, or the second in Lebanon 2006. Again we hear a cocksure military commander say that the targeted area will be sent back decades in time, as if Israel has complete control over historical temporality: “In attacking Hamas’ regime in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces will try to ‘send Gaza decades into the past’ in terms of weapon capabilities while achieving ‘the maximum number of enemy casualties and keeping Israel Defense Forces casualties at a minimum,’ GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant said.”[1]

Even in Sderot, Israelis say NO to Enfless War

One of the more moving voices of dissent is coming out of Sderot and other Israeli communities around Gaza. A group called “The Other Voice” has published a petition calling for the Israeli government to prevent escalation and restore calm to the area (the petition and an article on the group are included as the first items below). The petition was written in November and is gaining more publicity now, for obvious reasons. It states” We prefer an option of a cold war in which not a single rocket is fired to a hot war with tens of innocent victims and casualties from both sides.” So far more than 2,300 Israelis have signed it, including more than 500 people from Sderot. (Adam Horwitz also reported on it in Huffington Post, above)

Israeli troops ‘move into Gaza’ BBC

Israeli ground troops have started to enter the Gaza Strip, Israeli military officials have confirmed, a week after the offensive against Hamas began. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the intention was to “take control” of areas from which Palestinian militants have been firing rockets into Israel.

The BBC has woken up, 2 hours after the event, and is now reporting it!

Gaza protest at Israeli embassy BBC

Demonstrators are gathered close to the Israeli embassy in London, following a day of protests across the UK against Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. Up to 5,000 protesters have been involved in a stand-off with police in Kensington. Some have burned Israeli flags and thrown missiles at officers. Earlier, up to 12,000 demonstrators marched through central London, hurling shoes at the gates of Downing Street. Other rallies took place in cities including Manchester and Glasgow.

As usual, th BBC heroic team is behind the police cordon! The report itself is biased and misleading. The number of 12 thousands is a joke! There were more than 50 thousands at the London March!

A group ,of protestors tells Israeli pilots what they think of their murder in Gaza

Tens of young protesters wear blood-stained clothes and lie on the road to Sde Dov airport in Tel Aviv – watch the clip below:

Land, sea, sky: all will kill you

Mohammed is burying his family. So is Jamal. Haider doesn’t feel safe in his flat so is sheltering in his car. In a series of phone calls to friends besieged in Gaza, one writer reveals the reality of life under daily attack.

An excellent, moving, non-sensational, accurate and analytical piece in the Guardian by Karma Nabulsi

Israel’s righteous fury and its victims in Gaza

Ilan Pappe, The Electronic Intifada, 2 January 2009

My visit back home to the Galilee coincided with the genocidal Israeli attack on Gaza. The state, through its media and with the help of its academia, broadcasted one unanimous voice — even louder than the one heard during the criminal attack against Lebanon in the summer of 2006. Israel is engulfed once more with righteous fury that translates into destructive policies in the Gaza Strip. This appalling self-justification for the inhumanity and impunity is not just annoying, it is a subject worth dwelling on, if one wants to understand the international immunity for the massacre that rages on in Gaza.

‘I expected an ambulance, but a donkey cart carried the injured’

Ewa Jasiewicz The Guardian, Saturday 3 January 2009 Ewa Jasiewicz is a journalist and activist. She is currently the project co-ordinator for the Free Gaza Movement, and one of the only international journalists on the ground in Gaza. Here is her account of a week spent trying to document the attacks.

Palestinian self-determination is the real issue

The letters page in the Guardian today, one of the best ever. Read the letters.

Ground assault preceded by heavy artillery fire

By Amos Harel, Yoav Stern and Yanir Yagana, Haaretz Correspondents,

Israel entered the second week of its offensive against rockets from Hamas-ruled Gaza on Saturday evening by launching a much-expected ground operation into the coastal strip.

Israel okays call-up of tens of thousands of reservists as Gaza ground op gets underway

By Haaretz Service and Reuters Israel’s government has approved the call-up of tens of thousands of reservist soldiers, it was annnounced Saturday, almost simultaneously with the launch of a Gaza ground incursion aimed at halting rocket fire on Israel’s southern communities.

Propaganda war: trusting what we see?

By Paul Reynolds: World affairs correspondent, BBC News website

Israel has tried to take the initiative in the propaganda war over Gaza but, in one important instance, its version has been seriously challenged.

Gaza facing ‘critical emergency’

The UN has warned that Palestinians in Gaza are facing a serious health and food crisis, as Israeli air strikes continued for a seventh day. The “critical emergency” comes despite an increase in humanitarian shipments, said Maxwell Gaylard, the UN’s chief aid co-ordinator for the territory. The UN believes that at least 100 of some 400 Palestinians killed by Israeli action so far were civilians.

Israel steps up offensive on Gaza

The Israeli military has stepped up its attacks on Gaza, as the offensive on Hamas enters its second week. Israeli artillery and tanks bombarded the territory for what is thought to be the first time during the offensive, and further air strikes were launched. Later, a column of military vehicles crossed into northern Gaza, Palestinian witnesses said.

Thousands of Israeli Arabs protest Israel’s Gaza raids

By The Associated Press, in Ha’aretz

ANALYSIS / Israel must prepare to turn its military might from Gaza to Iran

By Amir Oren

Read this to find out the next round of fun prepared by the Israelis, which may well lead to the total destruction of what is left of the international order, such as it is. You better believe Israel when it says things like that.

Palestine’s Guernica

Mustafa Barghouti* cuts down the myths Israel spins in the media to justify its most recent campaign of slaughter; Al Ahram Weekly

Raining death

Saleh Al-Naami reports from Gaza on the carnage wreaked by five days of Israel’s bloody aerial assault; Al Ahram Weekly

Criminals vs cowards

The current uproar in Arab streets might not be of any direct help to Gazans but it draws battle lines between the masses and their regimes, notes Sherine Bahaa

Gaza op rallies in Tel Aviv

MK Erdan: protestors show sane majority supports Gaza op; anti-war rally held at Rabin Square: Vered Luvitch Published: 01.03.09, 19:13 / Israel News/Ynet A week after the launch of operation “Cast Lead” in the Gaza Strip, both supporters and objectors are holding separate rallies in Tel Aviv. About 300 people arrived at the city’s King David Boulevard in order to express their support for the IDF operation. Participants were chanting slogans in favor of eliminating Hamas and held signs reading “Let the IDF win” and “We’ve had enough, eliminate Hamas.”Meanwhile, hundreds of people arrived at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv in order to pretest against the Gaza war. The protesters were marching in the streets and carrying flags reading “Stop the fire” and “Children in Gaza and Sderot wish to live.”

Well if this is the size of the demonstrations in Te Aviv, Olmert, Brak and Livni have nothing to worry about – the Israeli nation is fully behind their war crimes (HB).