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Israel and Gaza Militants to Pause Attacks, but Invasion Is Still Seen as Likely Israeli Invasion of Gaza Is Likely, Official Says; Brief Cease-Fire Is Set
(about 2 hours later)
TEL AVIV — After nine days of Israeli aerial assaults that have killed more than 200 people in Gaza, Israel and militant groups in the territory said late Wednesday that they would suspend the attacks for five hours on Thursday as a humanitarian gesture at the request of the United Nations. But a senior Israeli military official said that the likelihood of a ground invasion to eliminate militants’ rockets launched from Gaza was “very high.” TEL AVIV — Even as Israel and Hamas agreed to pause hostilities briefly on Thursday at the request of the United Nations, a senior Israeli military official said that his government was increasingly likely to order a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip that it had hoped to avoid.
“If you want to efficiently fight terrorism you must be present, boots on the ground,” said the official, who has been briefing Israeli ministers who make strategic decisions. Though Israel initially set limited goals of halting the rocket assaults against it and degrading Hamas, the Islamist movement that dominates Gaza, the group’s tenacity and surprisingly deep arsenal have to led to widespread calls to expand the mission. The military official said only “boots on the ground” could eradicate terrorism from Gaza and indicated that Israel was even considering a long-term reoccupation of the coastal territory.
He said his assessment was based on “the signals I get” and the diminishing returns of aerial bombardments. He said that an Israeli takeover of Gaza is “not a huge challenge,” estimating it would take “a matter of days or weeks,” but that preventing a more dangerous devolution in the coastal enclave would require an occupation “of many months.” But with the Palestinian death toll reaching 214 on Wednesday, Israel and the Gaza militants agreed to end the violence for five hours on Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For Israel, it was a move that might help mitigate international criticism of rising civilian casualties, and that carried little cost: The military warned that if Hamas or other groups “exploited” the “humanitarian window” to attack Israel, it would “respond firmly and decisively.”
“Every day that passes makes the possibility more evident,” the official told a handful of international journalists in a briefing at the military’s Tel Aviv headquarters. “We can hurt them very hard from the air but not get rid of them.” He spoke on the condition of anonymity under military protocol. Hours earlier, Israel had called up 8,000 reservists in addition to the 42,000 troops already mobilized. With no progress reported from Cairo, where President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority had gone to discuss terms to end the fighting, Israel’s airstrikes intensified despite what the military official acknowledged were diminishing returns.
The stark assessment came as Israel bombed 60 targets, most of them in northern Gaza, after warning 100,000 residents to evacuate their homes by 8 a.m. via leaflets, text messages, and automated telephone calls. The Palestinian death toll reached at least 214 by Wednesday evening, including four children killed in a strike on the seashore. “Every day that passes makes the possibility more evident,” the military official said of a ground campaign. The official, who has been briefing Israeli ministers responsible for strategic decisions and spoke on the condition of anonymity under military protocol, said that his assessment was based on “the signals I get” and that the likelihood of an invasion was “very high.”
The lone Israeli casualty, a 37-year-old man killed by a mortar round as he distributed food to soldiers Tuesday night near the Erez crossing, was eulogized by Israel’s president-elect, Reuven Rivlin, at an afternoon funeral. “We can hurt them very hard from the air but not get rid of them,” he told a handful of international journalists in a briefing at the military’s Tel Aviv headquarters. An Israeli takeover of Gaza would not be “a huge challenge,” he said, estimating that it would take “a matter of days or weeks.” But he added that preventing a more dangerous deterioration in the territory would require a presence “of many months.”
Late Wednesday, the Israeli military announced that it would halt its bombing of Gaza from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday to provide residents with what it called a “humanitarian window.” Gaza militant groups agreed to reciprocate. The stark assessment came as Israel bombed scores of targets, many of them homes in northern Gaza, after warning 100,000 residents via leaflets, text messages and automated telephone calls to evacuate by 8 a.m. Palestinian health officials said that more than 1,500 people had been injured since the Israeli operation began July 8, and that several young children, including four boys on a beach, were killed in strikes on Wednesday.
The pause was requested by Robert H. Serry, the United Nations special envoy for the Middle East peace process. But the Israeli military said in a statement it would “respond firmly and decisively” if the militants “exploited” the window to attack Israel. The lone Israeli casualty, a 37-year-old man killed by a mortar round as he distributed food to soldiers Tuesday night near the Erez crossing into Gaza, was eulogized by Israel’s president-elect, Reuven Rivlin, at an afternoon funeral.
Scores of rockets from Gaza continued to fly into Israel, several of them intercepted by the Iron Dome missile-defense system over Tel Aviv and the southern city of Ashkelon. Hamas, the militant Palestinian faction that dominates Gaza, on Wednesday officially rejected an Egyptian cease-fire proposal that Israel had initially approved Tuesday morning. Israeli news outlets reported that Hamas had made its own proposal, offering 10 years of quiet in exchange for the full reopening of Gaza border crossings and the release of 50 Palestinians who were recently rearrested after been released in a 2011 exchange for a captured Israeli soldier. In Washington, President Obama called for both sides to exercise restraint, and Secretary of State John Kerry continued making phone calls to the region. “The Israeli people and the Palestinian people don’t want to live like this,” Mr. Obama told reporters. “We will use all of our diplomatic resources and relationships to support efforts of closing a deal on a cease-fire.”
President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority was meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss cease-fire terms. Mr. Obama reiterated his support for Israel while expressing sorrow over civilian casualties. “Israel has a right to defend itself from rocket attacks,” he said. “But over the past two weeks, we’ve all been heartbroken by the violence, especially the death and injury of so many innocent civilians in Gaza.”
But in Israel, Tuesday’s cautious embrace of a truce had been replaced by increasing chatter about the possibility of an imminent ground operation, as the government moved to call up 8,000 additional reservists, adding to the 42,000 already mobilized. The Israeli military said that 132 rockets had been fired toward Israel on Wednesday, and that 33 of them had been intercepted by the Iron Dome missile-defense system, including several over Tel Aviv and the southern city of Ashkelon.
Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Wednesday that an invasion of Gaza was “definitely an option.” “We will use as much force as necessary in order to bring back the quiet to the people of Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told mayors of the battered southern cities on Wednesday, according to his office.
“It’s being discussed — I can’t go beyond that,” he said. Asked about the military official’s characterization of the likelihood as “very high,” Mr. Regev said, “That’s a professional opinion of the military.” Then he added, “But you can be assured that opinion was expressed by the military to the political wing.” Mark Regev, Mr. Netanyahu’s spokesman, said an invasion of Gaza was “definitely an option.”
Mr. Netanyahu has been under pressure from some members of his cabinet and party to start a ground operation. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who has been at turns partner and rival to the prime minister, reiterated his call for a more substantial operation against Hamas on Wednesday, as did Yuval Steinitz, the minister of strategic affairs, who has been a Netanyahu stalwart and frequent mouthpiece. “It’s being discussed,” he said. “I can’t go beyond that.” Asked about the military official’s characterization of the likelihood as “very high,” Mr. Regev said, “That’s a professional opinion of the military.” Then he added, “But you can be assured that opinion was expressed by the military to the political wing.”
“To the best of my understanding, it is not possible to ensure summer vacation, a normal summer for our kids, without a ground operation in Gaza,” Mr. Lieberman said during a visit to Ashkelon, where he and his entourage had to run for cover at one point as sirens warned of incoming rockets, which were intercepted and destroyed by the Iron Dome system in dramatic fashion. Mr. Netanyahu has been fending off demands for a ground operation from some members of his cabinet and party. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who has been at turns partner and rival to the prime minister, reiterated his call for a more substantial campaign against Hamas on Wednesday, as did Yuval Steinitz, the minister of strategic affairs, who has been a Netanyahu stalwart and frequent mouthpiece.
“We don’t need to rule Gaza, or build settlements in Gaza,” he added. “We need to ensure that all Hamas terrorists run away, are imprisoned, or die.” “It is not possible to ensure summer vacation, a normal summer for our kids, without a ground operation in Gaza,” Mr. Lieberman said during a visit to Ashkelon.
Mr. Steinitz, for his part, said in a radio interview that it was possible Israel would begin a ground campaign in the next few days if rocket fire continued, and urged a takeover of Gaza for a few weeks to demilitarize it, topple Hamas and pave the way to “something else.” “We don’t need to rule Gaza or build settlements in Gaza,” he added. “We need to ensure that all Hamas terrorists run away, are imprisoned or die.”
Mr. Steinitz said in a radio interview that it was possible Israel would begin a ground campaign in the next few days. He urged Israel to take over Gaza for a few weeks to demilitarize it, topple Hamas and pave the way for “something else.”
But the senior military official said it would not be so simple.But the senior military official said it would not be so simple.
“We estimate that sitting there and eliminating Hamas terrorism from the Gaza Strip is a matter of many months — it’s not a matter of two or three months, it’s much more than that,” he said. “We have a very good idea of what does it mean to take over Gaza Strip in all aspects — military, civilian, infrastructure, economical — we have a very good idea and I think it’s one of the issues that the Israeli government should consider very seriously. “We estimate that sitting there and eliminating Hamas terrorism from the Gaza Strip is a matter of many months. It’s not a matter of two or three months; it’s much more than that,” he said. “We have a very good idea of what does it mean to take over Gaza Strip in all aspects: military, civilian, infrastructure, economical. We have a very good idea, and I think it’s one of the issues that the Israeli government should consider very seriously.”
“That’s a huge burden on anybody who would do it,” he added. “Everything has its own prices.” He added: “That’s a huge burden on anybody who would do it. Everything has its own prices.”
The official said the military has a variety of operational plans, including a full re-occupation of Gaza, which Israel seized in the 1967 war and withdrew settlers and soldiers from in 2005, but also “taking specific parts of the strip, taking places with tunnels, places with rockets.” The official said the military had a variety of operational plans, including one for a full reoccupation of Gaza, which Israel seized in the 1967 war and withdrew settlers and soldiers from in 2005. But he said it had also considered other options, like “taking specific parts of the strip, taking places with tunnels, places with rockets.”
The current campaign began July 8 amid mounting tension since the June 12 abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers who were hitchhiking home from their yeshivas in the occupied West Bank — a crime Israel blamed on Hamas — and the July 2 kidnapping and killing of a Palestinian 16-year-old in Jerusalem, which the authorities say was a revenge attack by Jewish extremists. It is Israel’s third major military operation in Gaza in six years. The current campaign, Israel’s third major military operation in Gaza in six years, followed mounting tensions after the June 12 abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers who were hitchhiking home in the occupied West Bank — a crime Israel blamed on Hamas — and the July 2 kidnapping and killing of a 16-year-old Palestinian in Jerusalem, which the authorities say was a revenge attack by Jewish extremists.
By Wednesday, Israel had struck more than 1,800 sites in Gaza, topping the 1,500 targets of its eight-day campaign in November 2012. Among the early-morning targets were a new five-story headquarters of the Interior Ministry that witnesses said was reduced to rubble, and the homes of several Hamas leaders: Mahmoud al-Zahar, a frequent international spokesman; Fathi Hamad, the former interior minister; Ismail al-Ashqar, a member of the defunct Parliament; and Bassem Naim, an adviser to the former prime minister, Ismail Haniya. By Wednesday, Israel had struck more than 1,800 sites in Gaza — topping the 1,500 targets hit over eight days in November 2012, when 167 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed. The more intense Operation Cast Lead in 2008 and 2009 lasted three weeks, included a ground invasion, and killed 13 Israelis and about 1,400 Palestinians.
The Israeli leaflets dropped in northern Gaza and some neighborhoods of Gaza City warned, “Whoever disregards these instructions and fails to evacuate immediately endangers their own lives, as well as those of their families.” The Israeli leaflets dropped in northern Gaza and some neighborhoods of Gaza City this week warned, “Whoever disregards these instructions and fails to evacuate immediately endangers their own lives, as well as those of their families.”
It was unclear how many Gaza residents were heeding the call; Hamas has urged people to stay put, calling the warnings “psychological warfare.” It was unclear how many Gaza residents were heeding the call; Hamas has urged people to stay put, calling the warnings “psychological warfare.” But it was also clear that any military campaign of this magnitude in such a densely populated area would inevitably lead to civilian casualties.
In the densely populated and poor neighborhoods of Zeitoun and Shejaya in Gaza City, streets were emptier than usual, but a few children flew kites and some men sat in the shade. Many people appeared confused, with some seeking shelter in friends’ homes deeper inside the neighborhoods rather than leaving. In the poor neighborhoods of Zeitoun and Shejaya in Gaza City, streets were emptier than usual, but a few children flew kites and some men sat in the shade. Many people appeared confused, with some seeking shelter in friends’ homes deeper inside the neighborhoods rather than leaving.
“We don’t know where we’re going, we’re going aimlessly,” said Mohammed Dalul, who was driving a donkey cart with his six children and an elderly neighbor. They had with them only a canister of cooking gas and a single bag of clothes for the children. “Nobody is looking after us,” said the neighbor, Naziha Rukhneh. “We don’t know where we’re going,” said Mohammed Dalul, who was driving a donkey cart with his six children and an older neighbor. “We’re going aimlessly.”
Around noon, eight rockets were launched simultaneously from nearby; a few minutes later, the sound of a warplane was followed by that of a bomb dropping. The neighbor, Naziha Rukhneh, said, “Nobody is looking after us.”
The senior Israeli military official said the campaign had entered “a higher level of operation” but not yet diverted from its original stated goals — to restore quiet, not to rout Hamas or conquer Gaza. Around noon on Wednesday, eight rockets were launched simultaneously from nearby. A few minutes later, the sound of a warplane was followed by that of a bomb dropping.
The senior Israeli military official said the campaign had entered “a higher level of operation” but had not yet diverted from its originally stated goal: to restore quiet, not to rout Hamas or conquer Gaza.
“The point will be the exact time when the Israeli government will decide we are going to change method,” he said. “When they feel the current method or the current concept is no longer working for them, I believe they will order the military to do something else.”“The point will be the exact time when the Israeli government will decide we are going to change method,” he said. “When they feel the current method or the current concept is no longer working for them, I believe they will order the military to do something else.”
The official noted: “A ground campaign will be much messier.” “A ground campaign,” he added, “will be much messier.”