Despite Cease Fire Battle Continues

Despite Cease-Fire: Day Of Battle On Gaza Strip Border

A Palestinian boy looks up from the entrance of a smuggling tunnel on the 
Palestinian side of the border between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt 
and Rafah in the south of Gaza Strip yesterday. During its offensive in 
the Gaza Strip, Israel said it destroyed most of the hundreds of tunnels 
in repeated bombing runs by Israeli jets. (Eyad Baba/Associated Press)
By David Bedein, Middle East Correspondent
Published: Friday, January 23, 2009
Sderot, Israel  Although Israels self-imposed cease-fire entered its third 
day yesterday, exchanges of fire continued on the ground.

Hamas fired eight mortar shells at the border crossings along the Gaza 
Strip-Kerem Shalom, Karni and Kissufim yesterday morning. Shortly 
afterward, two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) patrols along the fence came 
under fire from militants, on both south and north ends of the Gaza Strip. 
IDF combatants returned fire, and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroyed 
the mortar.?

They ran away from combat with us during the operation, and now they are 
trying to flex their muscles, explained an officer in the Gaza Division. 
The border crossings were not closed following the mortar shell fire, but 
this is not the reality that we want to live with.?

Lt. Col. Amir, commander of the 75th Armored Battalion, said yesterday the 
battalions combatants were the first to go into Gaza.

A high level of vigilance remains on the ground, because you never know 
when you will be surprised.  After we exposed a tunnel that was ready for 
a terror attack and a kidnapping in the style of the Gilad Shalit 
[kidnapping], we dont have to explain too much to the?combatants, Lt. Col. 
Amir said.?

A senior security source said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak 
personally gave authorization to attack and destroy the mortar that fired 
the eight shells due to the cease-fire.

These are the first days of the cease-fire, and therefore we are not 
hurrying to draw conclusions, the source said.  We will not permit by any 
means a game of ping pong along the Gaza Strip.  As for pulling out the 
troops, we will only be guided by operational considerations.?

Meanwhile, sources close to director of the political security staff in 
the Israeli Defense Ministry expressed satisfaction with the progress 
forming an Egyptian mechanism for combating smuggling on Philadelphi 
Road.?

Meanwhile, the western Negev is trying to return to normal.  Eshkol 
Regional Council Chairman Haim Yellin said yesterday:

On one hand, its good to get back to routine, but on the other hand, we 
have a lot of fears, because no agreement has been signed with the 
Palestinians.  We have quiet due to the deterrence of the operation, but 
we are waiting for the next rocket.  The question is how long this quiet 
will last.?

The education system in the south has returned to full activity, and 
sources in Beersheba reported 90-percent  attendance of pupils on the 
first day of the return to school.

Amira Haim, director of the Education Ministrys southern district, toured 
some of the schools and kindergartens and ensured that the teachers and 
pupils would receive reinforcements.

David Bedein can be reached at bedein-W/[email protected]

http://www.thebulletin.us/articles/2009/01/23/news/world/doc49781ecba1714580115780.txt