Cabinet OKs 75,000 reservists for possible Gaza operation
Government increases cap of reservists for possible ground operation in Gaza from 30,000 to 75,000; FM Liberman says the government is not considering toppling Hamas.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the IDF’s request on Friday evening to increase the maximum number of reservists it could enlist, seeking cabinet approval to mobilize up to 75,000 troops ahead of a possible Gaza ground operation.
The Inner Cabinet, a group of nine senior ministers, met for over three hours to discuss the possibility of a ground operation into the Hamas-controlled enclave, but released no statements or indications as to what transpired during the meeting.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, however, told Channel 10 that toppling Hamas is not on the agenda as a goal for Operation Pillar of Defense.
“We are definitely considering a ground operation, but toppling Hamas, I think that’s something that the next government will have to decide,” he said.
Liberman also told Channel 2 that the IDF will only stop its attacks against Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip once Israel accomplishes its goals of stopping rocket fire and increasing deterrence.
“Each time that Hamas fires [into Israel], there will be a harsher and harsher response,” he added.
Debate over invading Gaza comes after three days of constant rocket-fire from the Strip, which has reached as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time, and targeted Israeli strikes against terrorist leaders and weapons depots in Gaza.
On Friday morning, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz issued draft orders to 16,000 out the 30,000 reservists the cabinet approved Thursday. Most of the reservists called up thus far serve in the IDF’s Engineering Corps.
The engineering corps would play a vital part in any ground operation into the Gaza Strip, enabling armored vehicles to move across the border into Gaza. The IDF operation to root out terror in the coastal territory has consisted of air raids on terror targets thus far.
IDF: Tonight will not be calm in Gaza
The IDF assassinated two Hamas members in Gaza on Friday evening.
The first, Muhammad Abu Jalal, was a Hamas company commander in central Gaza’s El Muazi area, and the second, Khaled Shaeer, operated anti-tank missiles.
Earlier, the IDF sent text messages to 12,000 Gazan civilians, warning them to stay away from Hamas members.
The IDF warned that its activities would continue into the night on Friday, warning Hamas to take cover.
“Terrorists in Gaza should hide. Tonight won’t be calm in Gaza,” IDF spokesman Yoav Mordechai said. “We’re hitting hundreds of rocket launchers in waves of air strikes, including right now.”
The IDF also revealed on Friday that it had taken out Hamas’s nascent drone program.
The military recently focused its intelligence efforts on a group of Hamas terrorists who were developing and producing drones designed to strike fortified targets in Israel.
The terrorists were under the instruction of Iranian technical instructors, and the ‘production team’ carried test flights in Gaza of the drones.
The IAF struck the test flight sites in recent attacks.
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耶路撒冷拉警報 以徵召後備軍
以色列國防軍發動的『雲柱行動』進入第3天，耶路撒冷首度響起警報，火箭掉在城外空地上，沒有造成傷亡。
耶路撒冷今天傍晚約5時響起警報聲，當時已進入安息日，大部分居民待在家中。這是自波斯灣戰爭20餘年來耶路撒冷首度響起警報聲，有居民說，聽到爆炸聲。火箭掉落在耶路撒冷南部靠近巴勒斯坦村落的郊區空地上，沒有傷亡傳出。
耶路撒冷周邊有許多巴勒斯坦村落，舊城裡又有穆斯林區和兩大清真寺，多數人認為遭遇攻擊的可能性很低。
警報響起前約20分鐘，哈瑪斯軍事部門說不久後會給個驚奇，發射火箭攻擊耶路撒冷果然造成相當震撼。
以色列國防軍今天仍持續由海空向加薩走廊猛轟，主要攻擊目標是哈瑪斯等組織的火箭發射基地和彈藥庫，但據巴勒斯坦方面消息，加薩市的內政部辦公大樓也遭到轟炸。
巴勒斯坦人也持續從加薩走廊向以色列發射火箭，光是今天就有超過66枚火箭射入以國境內，另外近100枚火箭則被以國反火箭系統鐵穹（Iron Dome）攔截。特拉維夫今天下午再度響起警報聲，經證實火箭掉落到地中海。
此外，以色列國防部長巴瑞克（Ehud Barak）昨晚指示要徵召3萬後備軍人。
今晚最新消息，內閣已通過徵召7萬5000人。坦克及裝甲車輛也已向南部集結，往加薩走廊的部分道路封閉，以色列與加薩走廊邊境閘口關閉。以色列地面部隊隨時可能攻入加薩走廊。