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Last update - 02:23 05/03/2008 IDF officers: We faced fierce but unorganized resistance in Gaza By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Gaza, Operation Warm Winter  More than 24 hours after the end of Operation Warm Winter in the northern Gaza Strip, its commanders, from the Givati and the Barak armored brigades, met Tuesday for a debriefing. While the resistance they encountered was fierce, they said, it was less organized than they thought it would be based on information about Hamas' increasing strength. The 48-hour operation focused on the area between the Sajiyeh neighborhood east of Gaza city, and Jabalya to its north. Two Israel Defense Force soldiers were killed and eight wounded, one moderately. The Palestinians reported 70 dead, and another 50 killed in other incidents since the flare-up last Wednesday. Advertisement The operation's commanders say they wanted to remain in the area for a while, but their instructions were to end the incursion early on Monday. Two Givati battalions took part in the operation, along with special forces, engineering units and the Sa'ar armored battalion. Infantry fighters penetrated around three kilometers west of the border fence before they were discovered. Fierce fighting then broke out around built-up areas and orchards. The two Israeli casualties were shot point-blank during the first two hours of the fighting. Givati officers said troop morale was high. In some cases wounded soldiers and officers refused to be evacuated to the hospital. In one instance, a platoon commander saw a Palestinian throwing grenades out of a window. He approached the Palestinian under fire, sustaining injuries from shrapnel, and threw a grenade into the window, killing the Palestinian. In another instance, the deputy commander of a tank force repeatedly returned to the battle site to evacuate the wounded under heavy RPG fire. Hamas has two brigades in the area of the fighting, but the officers said they were only partially organized. The moment Hamas realized that the advancing IDF forces were relatively large, they withdrew. Most of their attempted offensive actions were from a distance and caused little damage. The army estimates that approximately 100 to 150 gunmen were involved in the fighting, but the Israeli troops came up against no more than 50 gunmen at a time. The Palestinians were clearly trying to coordinate their moves by radio, and their deployment reflected some organization, the IDF officers said. Hamas was well-equipped with weapons, night-vision gear and flack jackets. They fired dozens of RPGs at Israeli tanks, hitting a few, but not penetrating them. According to reports from Gaza, dozens of Palestinian civilians were also killed in the fighting. The army says the fighting took place in a densely populated area, and Hamas gunmen sometimes using families hiding in their homes as human shields. The army also said the rules of engagement prohibit intentional firing on civilians, however in cases where a source of fire was clearly identified as coming from a home, permission was given to open fire without determining whether civilians were also present. The officers said some of the Palestinian civilians were hit by "heavy and inaccurate" Palestinian fire. In one case the commander of the brigade reconnaissance force saw a boy of about 10 sent to bring a weapon from a dead gunman after another gunman was killed trying to retrieve it. The commander ordered his men not to fire and the boy delivered the weapon to other armed men. The Givati officers said no Qassams were fired during the operation from the five-square-kilometer area from which most of rockets on Sderot originate. "To stop the fire completely, we'd have to stay in the area all the time, " an officer conceded. However he also said he hoped the killing of the Hamas men would make the organization realize that there was is a price to be paid for shooting the Qassams. The officers seemed to be trying hard to show that the lessons of the Second Lebanon War had been learned. They emphasized the importance of joint training with the infantry, Armored Corps and the Air Force. They also said that Givati commander Colonel Ilan Malka was present in the field throughout the fighting. One of the harshest criticisms in the Second Lebanon War regarded the absence of senior officers at the front. Related articles: Palestinians: IDF kills infant, top Islamic Jihad man in S. Gaza ANALYSIS: Hamas wants lull in Gaza, but only on its own terms 10 Palestinians killed, 4 troops hurt in ongoing Gaza offensive Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bring down the house Knesset speaker calls for wrecking of yeshiva killer's family home. Frum and fabulous Beauty salons offer Haredi women a unique brand of modest glamour.   1.   Hollow Victory 01:42  |  gearoid 05/03/08   2.   God Bless These Brave Soldiers 02:22  |  b`galil 05/03/08   3.   Well done lads, we`re always with you!!! 02:35  |  Free Gilad Shalit 05/03/08   4.   Looks intense! 02:35  |  Paul 05/03/08   5.   Reminiscent of Nazi`s and warsaw ghetto 03:06  |  Mark 05/03/08   6.   What lesson learned 03:08  |  Joe Firesone 05/03/08   7.   Gearoid-yes, very proud indeed 03:08  |  Stephen in New York 05/03/08   8.   Paint job 03:16  |  pal 05/03/08   9.   Olmert ruined another victory since Hamas is still around 03:51  |  Kipperraes 05/03/08   10.   The PR War 03:52  |  dave duncan 05/03/08   11.   GEAROID. Hamas won,remember? The US pays only a part of IDF costs 03:54  |  PETER SM 05/03/08   12.   #5 Paint job response 03:54  |  THE WARRIOR 05/03/08   13.   Hamas` crimes against humanity 03:56  |  fiona 05/03/08   14.   WOW 04:02  |  Darron 05/03/08   15.   Children Soldiers are Soldiers 04:19  |  C Taylor 05/03/08   16.   Warsaw Ghetto in Sderot 04:21  |  Straight Talk 05/03/08   17.   Operation WARM Winter, should have name change of: 04:25  |  bleeding heart 05/03/08   18.   Get Some!!!! 04:32  |  eyesfromafar 05/03/08   19.   I wish more of those stories came from Haaretz 04:32  |  TonyL 05/03/08   20.   gearoid - I suppose you are proud.... 04:35  |  Daniel 05/03/08   21.   GEAROID IRAN ,EU ETC.pay for Pals.you forgot to mention that 04:44  |  PETER SM 05/03/08   22.   #5 antisemitism and the Warsaw Ghetto 04:50  |  Sinequanun 05/03/08   23.   You the might of America behind you.What heroes? 04:57  |  American 05/03/08   24.   Why is the IDF discussing their tactics ??? 05:00  |  Avrum 05/03/08   25.   #5 Mark in NY 05:11  |  ballistic 05/03/08   26.   #24 Avrum 05:14  |  ballistic 05/03/08   27.   #5 to Mark, the nazi spiritual descendant 05:18  |  Bob 05/03/08   28.   #13 Fiona 05:21  |  ballistic 05/03/08   29.   Darron 05:31  |  pal 05/03/08   30.   #19 Say TonyL 05:34  |  ballistic 05/03/08   31.   Israel is Still Holding Back Unfortunately 05:36  |  Dave Levy 05/03/08   32.   Bleeding Heart _ So Long As You Don`t Have Bleeding Hemorrhoids 05:36  |  Eli 05/03/08   33.   Keep Your Mouth Shut Israel 05:41  |  Dave Levy 05/03/08   34.   #5 Mark - not at all reminiscent 06:21  |  * BEN JABO 05/03/08   35.   IDF soldiers Murdered in Cold Blood 06:31  |  Hav we f`got our own 05/03/08   36.   Darron`s response 06:50  |  DesertEagle50 05/03/08   37.   Mums The Word 06:54  |  youry 05/03/08   38.   #1 gearoid; sickenning to hear it from Ireland which during WWII 06:55  |  Max Zinger P.Chimist 05/03/08   39.   #5 Mark, I bet you are either a catholic american or even more 06:59  |  Max Zinger P.Chimist 05/03/08   40.   Olmert ruined another victory since Hamas is still around 07:15  |  Calyxcrater 05/03/08   41.   `AMERICAN" Israelis kicked Arabs backside around the block 07:19  |  PETER SM 05/03/08   42.   MARK.Thousands of missiles at Israeli civillians reminds you of ? 07:25  |  PETER SM 05/03/08   43.   #4 Mark -except the Jews were not killing Nazis 07:56  |  Jon 05/03/08   44.   #14 Darron-Welcome to Ha`aretz 07:58  |  Jon 05/03/08   45.   A better future for the Arabs of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. 08:09  |  Jean Van Daem 05/03/08   46.   Response to sinequanum 08:22  |  Mark 05/03/08   47.   Hey Olmert did you hear the Military Recommendation? 08:22  |  Daniel 05/03/08   48.   Thanks Mark 08:32  |  Justice 05/03/08   49.   to American 08:55  |  Gad Elyahu 05/03/08   50.   You call yourself "American" #23 with your catastrophic English? 09:14  |  S 05/03/08   51.   IDF`s has used Human Shields 09:27  |  Milo 05/03/08   52.   Change method of entering Gaza by IDF 09:32  |  sam 05/03/08   53.   #5 Mark 09:50  |  Sheikh Rattle & Roll 05/03/08   54.   God bless these brave men and boys for protecting the Jewish peop 09:50  |  don 05/03/08   55.   Why discuss it? 10:01  |  Ros 05/03/08   56.   JOKE 10:01  |  Me 05/03/08   57.   The chilling detail for Israelis 10:05  |  Clickfool 05/03/08   58.   Tanks in a wrong place 10:10  |  Atoo 05/03/08   59.   Answering Avrum #24 10:11  |  Clickfool 05/03/08   60.   phoney military 10:13  |  robert carrington 05/03/08   61.   #15 Wow. 10:15  |  Atoo 05/03/08   62.   gaza incursion 10:33  |  Jonathan 05/03/08   63.   No way to treat the conflict in this way 10:37  |  Ana 05/03/08   64.   Question for Mark/#5 10:41  |  Moshe Ben Yitzhak 05/03/08   65.   Still an IDF failure though. 10:41  |  Michael 05/03/08   66.   Not to bomb populated areas 10:43  |  Ana 05/03/08   67.   INSTEAD OF 300 TALKBACKS , WE HAVE 50 10:55  |  HAL TRIPP 05/03/08   68.   Bleeding heart "ana" from Bat-Yam :You&Co prolong the conflict 11:20  |  Absolute Sweden 05/03/08   69.   Like it is 11:25  |  Anton 05/03/08   70.   #24 Why are they discussing their tactics, Avrum? 11:26  |  Johnboy 05/03/08   71.   Clickfool... 12:11  |  Ofer Maimon 05/03/08   72.   Terror army 12:27  |  Min 05/03/08   73.   #37 Since this "conflict" is framed by the aggression 12:40  |  MaryRose 05/03/08   74.   IT WAS A COLONIAL REPRISAL........ 12:41  |  MICHELE 05/03/08   75.   16: Rather die on your feet then on your knees. 12:43  |  Tupac 05/03/08   76.   Mark i think your right!! 12:46  |  amir 05/03/08   77.   29: God bless these brave men for killing civilins 12:52  |  Tupac 05/03/08   78.   Ofer Maimon 42 re: Clickfool 13:01  |  Nik Miller 05/03/08   79.   #1 Gearoid, YES, WE ARE VERY PROUD AND YOU ARE STILL A LOSER! 13:30  |  petra 05/03/08   80.   #6 lol you couldn`t win if all was favoring your side 13:33  |  petra 05/03/08   81.   # 21 PETER, AMEN AMEN 13:34  |  petra 05/03/08   82.   # 28 RIGHT ON!!!!!!!! TRUTH BE TOLD IT`S TRUE!!!! 13:36  |  petra 05/03/08   83.   # 45 Ofir LOL BINGO! 13:46  |  petra 05/03/08   84.   # 48 michele go play on the freeway 13:47  |  petra 05/03/08   85.   # 49 ALL THAT VISION FROM NEW YORK? 13:49  |  petra 05/03/08   86.   # 52 NIK MILLER, QUITE TRUE! 13:54  |  petra 05/03/08   87.   TUPAC IT Is the Pals who target Israeli civillians daily 13:56  |  PETER SM 05/03/08   88.   Gaza War Incursion - Right Timing. 13:56  |  The Archives 05/03/08   89.   For Podge Miller # 52 14:03  |  Clickfool 05/03/08   90.   All the best to the Israeli Soldiers 14:13  |  k 05/03/08   91.   To Atoo 32 14:17  |  American Christian 05/03/08   92.   WELL DONE IDF, YOU ARE THE BEST 14:17  |  Joey 05/03/08   93.   TUPAC drama queen slogans for Arab bombers of Israeli civillians 14:20  |  PETER SM 05/03/08   94.   kill them all 14:23  |  tori 05/03/08   95.   sickening stories!!! 14:24  |  innocent civilian 05/03/08   96.   The Gathering 14:34  |  American Christian 05/03/08   97.   Militants tell Hamas to talk peace 15:16  |  theolive-branch.org 05/03/08   98.   Clickfool tell Hamas to talk peace 15:17  |  theolive-branch.org 05/03/08   99.   Clickfool give Nik Miller your address and talk peace to him 15:18  |  theolive-branch.org 05/03/08   100.   Tori in Teheran tell the Mullahs to talk peace with Israel 15:19  |  theolive-branch.org 05/03/08   101.   Gearoid tell the Hamas children to talk peace 15:20  |  theolive-branch.org 05/03/08   102.   Gearoid tell Hamas to free Gilad and to talk peace 15:20  |  theolive-branch.org 05/03/08   103.   Mark NY tell Hamas to talk peace: missiles don`t bring peace 15:22  |  theolive-branch.org 05/03/08   104.   You forgot to preface the officers` remarks "wink wink" 15:25  |  Chanalau, Tova 05/03/08   105.   #31 you 15:51  |  Franco 05/03/08   106.   It would appear 15:55  |  Mark Lincoln 05/03/08   107.   they can easily be ousted. do it now. do it for peace. 15:55  |  frenz 05/03/08   108.   The bravery of Hamas 15:57  |  William 05/03/08   109.   Innocent civilian in Gaza #64 - if you are truly innocent... 16:03  |  William 05/03/08   110.   As someone with combat experience the IDF are mad.. 16:46  |  Don Camillo 05/03/08   111.   Mark fro mNY 17:14  |  Chaim 05/03/08   112.   Clickfool N57. 17:27  |  David Nigel Braham 05/03/08   113.   Hamas is Egypts` Proxy 17:58  |  gsquaredb 05/03/08   114.   ballestic,yea,and your post is the opinion of someone else thats 18:22  |  terrornator 05/03/08   115.   ballestic,are you so stupid that you actually believe that if 18:26  |  terrornator 05/03/08   116.   IDF in Gaza 21:26  |  david 05/03/08   117.   #26 Ballistic - When is the last time U were on the front lines? 21:33  |  * BEN JABO 05/03/08   118.   #23 is a real American 01:49  |  Marlboro 06/03/08   119.   Urban combat 23:34  |  Thomas 06/03/08   120.   to # 5, Mark 16:33  |  Dado 10/03/08   121.   Dado 120 21:21  |  Student26 12/03/08

Today Online Hamas: No truce until Israel ends Gaza siege Responses: 140 Australian parliament lauds Israel as 'custodian of freedom' Responses: 101 Qureia to Livni: PA 'shocked' at plan to expand settlement Responses: 106 Israel to boycott Al-Jazeera TV, claiming incitement to terror Responses: 75 Pro-Palestinian graffiti found inside El Al plane in Italy Responses: 52 Haaretz TV: Israel-born child faces expulsion Responses: 19 Rosner's Domain What General Fallon didn't get (WTR) Israeli leadership: A mixture of paranoia and luck Poll: Cease-fire with Hamas, a good idea? How Qassams changed the conflict (WTR) Study: Boston's intermarried 'as observant' as Reform Jews More Headlines 21:21 IDF kills 5 Palestinian militants in two West Bank incidents 20:44 Defense Min.: Fighting in southern Israel, Gaza may soon resume 18:58 New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns amid sex scandal 17:19 Dichter to police: Demolish home of Jerusalem yeshiva terrorist 21:27 Schindler Jews to mark 65 years since Krakow ghetto liquidation 16:59 Smuggler buried alive when tunnel collapses near Egypt-Gaza border 20:55 Livni warns 'clock is ticking' on sanctions against Iran 18:57 Rightist rabbis urge 'measure for measure' revenge on foes 19:29 Brothers sentenced to life in jail for 'honor killing' of sister 20:24 Shas slams IDF plan to decrease Haredi exemption from army 18:34 Rubinstein Piano Competition / A truly impressive artist 16:30 After 30 years, musician Joe Jackson realizes dream of playing in Israel Previous Editions Select Day 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar 07 mar 06 mar 05 mar 04 mar 03 mar 02 mar 29 feb 28 feb 27 feb

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