Israel's 2014 Gaza War Report To Be Released Tomorrow

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) meets with then-IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz (center) and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (right) in southern Israel on July 21, 2014. (Kobi Gideon/GPO/Flash90)

AFP: Israel braces for Gaza war report

Israeli politicians and ex-generals are scambling for cover ahead of the publication on Tuesday of a report expected to slam their conduct of the costly 2014 Gaza war.

The findings of a two-year inquiry, due to be released at 1400 GMT, are widely expected to inflict collateral damage on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then-defence minister Moshe Yaalon and former army chief of staff Benny Gantz for failing to prepare for the threat posed by Hamas tunnels from Gaza, despite intelligence warnings.

Players past and present have been frantically "briefing reporters, providing leaks, and besmirching their opponents, some directly and some obliquely", as Maariv daily put it on Monday.

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WNU Editor: In the meantime .... the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues .... Israeli aircraft attack Hamas targets after rocket fired from Gaza (Reuters).

More News On Israel's 2014 Gaza War Report To Be Released Tomorrow

Netanyahu ready to deflect blame for Gaza war woes -- Jerusalem Post
Ya'alon, Gantz go on offensive ahead of Gaza war report -- The Times of Israel
Politicians gird for battle ahead of contentious 2014 Gaza War report -- The Times of Israel
Former Israeli Defense Chiefs Decry 'Lie' That Israel Lost 2014 Gaza War -- Haaretz

Israeli Official Warns Of Longer Gaza Rocket Range

From Yahoo News/AP:

JERUSALEM – Israel's top security official warned Sunday that Gaza militants can hit more Israeli cities with longer-range rockets, on a day when rockets exploded in border towns and a coastal city after an Israel-Hamas truce expired.

Only one Israeli was lightly wounded in the barrage of 19 rockets and three mortars by nightfall. But after a weekend of heavy rocket attacks — and two Israeli airstrikes in response — Israel's government threatened to strike back hard.

One rocket exploded in Ashkelon, a city of about 120,000 on the Mediterranean coast 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Gaza. In the past, Israel has responded harshly to attacks on Ashkelon.

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Hamas And Israel Are Sabre Rattling Again

Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters attend a rally marking the 21st anniversary of the Islamist movement's creation in Gaza City. The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which controls Gaza said on Sunday that a troubled Cairo-brokered truce with Israel will not be renewed when it runs out later this week. (AFP/Mahmud Hams)

Gaza Militants Vague On Renewing Truce With Israel -- International Herald Tribune

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: Masked Gaza gunmen practice capturing Israeli soldiers, training videos teach activists how to build grenades, and rocket squads fire daily at Israeli border towns.

It looks like a warmup for battle.

But the picture is not clear. Gaza's Islamic Hamas rulers argue that their six-month cease-fire with Israel formally ends Friday, but Hamas and smaller militant groups won't say clearly whether they'll extend it.

The vagueness, alongside the rocket fire, could be a negotiating tactic to pressure Israel to offer better terms for a truce, including opening Gaza's border crossings.

At the same time, militants are preparing for a new round of fighting.

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More News On Gaza, Hamas, And Israel

Rocket fire from Gaza wounds two Israelis -- Reuters
Rocket fire raises concern over Gaza truce -- AFP
Hamas leader: No truce unless Israel eases Gaza restrictions -- Haaretz
Hamas Threatens to End Truce Unless Israel Eases Restrictions -- Bloomberg
Leaders of Britain, Israel Discuss Jewish Settlements -- Voice of America
24 Hours in Gaza -- Reuters

Middle East: Israeli Strike Kills Two Palestinians

From Adnkronos:

Gaza City, 2 Dec. (AKI) - An Israeli air strike killed two Palestinian teenagers and injured four others on Tuesday in southern Gaza. "The IDF targeted a militant squad that launched a mortar against Israel from the southern Gaza Strip in the past hour. Approximately six mortars were launched against Israel from the same proximity today," said the Israel Defense Forces website in a statement.

Israeli helicopters launched an attack on a road leading to the disused Yasser Arafat Airport, located east of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, said Palestinian news agency Maan. The victims were identified as 15-year-old Ramzi ad-Duheini and 17-year-old Ahmad Hammad.

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Israel Turns Back Gaza Aid Ship

From CNN:

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli naval vessels intercepted a Libyan ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Monday, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said the ship was stopped and ordered to turn back because it was not authorized to dock in the Palestinian territory of Gaza which is under an Israeli blockade.

After receiving the message by radio contact, the Libyan ship turned back, a ministry spokesman said.

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Kassam Hits House In Eshkol Region

From Jerusalem Post:

Gaza terrorists continued their attacks on southern Israel Thursday evening, firing a Kassam rocket that hit a house in the Eshkol region.

The house was damaged in the attack, but no one was wounded.

Earlier Thursday, two rockets landed in open areas in the western Negev.

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Israel Will Move Into Gaza Very Soon, And Washington Knows It

From The Counter Terrorism Blog:

A newswire story today sounds the alarm on a probable Israeli incursion into Gaza to address repeated Hamas terrorist attacks into Israel. "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Friday raised the spectre of a full-scale military operation in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip despite Egyptian attempts to mediate a truce.

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News From Other Sources On The Possibility Of An Israeli Incursion
Israel cuts off Palestinian tax funds as relations hit new low -- The Independent
Olmert Raises Specter of Gaza Operation -- Arab News
Odds shorten on major Gaza offensive -- The Age
Egypt deploys hundreds of policemen on Gaza border -- Reuters
Israel's Next Cabinet Meeting - Sunday Will Plan Offensive -- Newsblaze
Israeli Palestinian Confrontation Update June 5, 2008 -- Right Side News

My Comment: When Hamas forcibly took over the Gaza strip, you knew that this was going to come down to an armed confrontation between Israel and them. The only question has been when, and what will be the cost. I guess that tipping point is being reached now.