Israeli Attack On Gaza Continues; 230 Dead

U.S. Defends Israel's Offensive As Retaliation For Recent Missile Strikes; Other World Leaders Condemn The Fighting

(CBS/AP)  Israeli warplanes rained more than 100 tons of bombs on security sites in Hamas-ruled Gaza Saturday and early Sunday, killing at least 230 people in one of the Mideast conflict's bloodiest assaults in decades. The government said the open-ended campaign was aimed at stopping rocket attacks that have traumatized southern Israel.

Most of the casualties were security forces, but Palestinian officials said at least 15 civilians were among the dead. More than 400 people were also wounded.

The unprecedented assault sparked protests and condemnations throughout the Arab world, and many of Israel's Western allies urged restraint, though the U.S. blamed Hamas for the fighting.

President Bush was briefed on the situation in Israel and Gaza during his daily intelligence briefing, reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller. Mr. Bush also spoke by phone to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss the Middle East.

Presidenent-elect Barack Obama, vacationing in Hawaii, was also briefed and is monitoring the situation closely, CBS News correspondent Jaime Farnsworth reports.

An Obama transition aide said that Mr. Obama also spoke with Rice and was in touch with the White House.

There was no end in sight to the fighting. The first round of strikes began around noon Saturday followed by successive waves of attacks that continued into the early hours Sunday.

Israel warned it might go after Hamas' leaders, and militants kept pelting Israel with rockets — killing at least one Israeli and wounding six.

Hundreds of Israeli infantry and armored corps troops headed for the Gaza border in preparation for a possible ground invasion, military officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity under army guidelines.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview with the CBS Evening News that "if the goals of the operation will not be achieved by airstrike, we will have to consider boots on the ground."

He said those goals were "To change totally the behavior of Hamas. It's a terrorist regime that keeps shelling Israel with thousands of rockets and mortar shells over our civilian population indiscriminately."

Asked if Israel's response to Hamas' rocket fire might be considered disproportionate, Barak told the Evening News, "We are trying to avoid damage, but we have to achieve our goals."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said late Saturday that the goal was "to bring about a fundamental improvement in the security situation." He added, "It could take some time."

The Israeli airstrikes caused widespread panic and confusion, and black plumes of smoke billowed above the territory, ruled by the Islamic militant Hamas for the past 18 months. Some of the Israeli missiles struck in densely populated areas as students were leaving school, and women rushed into the streets frantically looking for their children.

"My son is gone, my son is gone," wailed Said Masri, a 57-year-old shopkeeper, as he sat in the middle of a Gaza City street, slapping his face and covering his head with dust from a bombed-out security compound nearby.

He said he had sent his 9-year-old son out to purchase cigarettes minutes before the airstrikes began and could not find him. "May I burn like the cigarettes, may Israel burn," Masri moaned.

Left: An explosion is seen in an Israeli missile strike in the northern Gaza Strip near the border with Israel, Dec. 27, 2008.

Militants often operate against Israel from civilian areas. Late Saturday, thousands of Gazans received Arabic-language cell-phone messages from the Israeli military, urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons.

The offensive began eight days after a six-month truce between Israel and the militants expired. The Israeli army says Palestinian militants have fired some 300 rockets and mortars at Israeli targets over the past week, and 10 times that number over the past year.

"There is a time for calm and there is a time for fighting, and now is the time for fighting," said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, vowing to expand the operation if necessary.

In Gaza City's main security compound, bodies of more than a dozen uniformed Hamas police lay on the ground. Civilians rushed wounded people in cars and vans to hospitals because there weren't enough ambulances to transport all the dead and wounded.

"There are heads without bodies .... There's blood in the corridors. People are weeping, women are crying, doctors are shouting, " said nurse Ahmed Abdel Salaam from Shifa Hospital, Gaza's main treatment center.

Military officials said aircraft released more than 100 tons of bombs in the first nine hours of fighting, focusing initially on militant training camps, rocket-manufacturing facilities and weapons warehouses that had been identified in advance.

A second wave was directed at squads who fired about 180 rockets and mortars at Israeli border communities. Palestinians said Israeli bombs destroyed a mosque early Sunday. The military called it a "base for terrorist activities."

Another target early Sunday was the Al Aqsa TV station used by Hamas. Its studio building was destroyed, but the station remained on the air with a mobile unit. Palestinians counted about 20 airstrikes in the first hours of Sunday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Hamas' political leaders could soon be targeted. ""Hamas is a terrorist organization and nobody is immune," she declared.

The campaign was launched six weeks before national elections. Livni and Barak hope to succeed Ehud Olmert as prime minister, and the outgoing government has faced pressure to take tough action.

[longtree-2009]

go israel, go! bomb the horse manure out of the gaza strip. enough is enough. invade, destroy the area. palestinians want a war then give it to them and palestinians fight for your side. war until there is unconditional surrender of one of the combatants. peace talks, peace accords, concessions have not worked and are all just smoke and mirrors. time to declare total conventional war and be done with it once and for all. attack, attack, attack!

[juwboy]

About time, too!!!

[platteman]

Time for Israel to wipe them off the face of the earth. They Hammas is just a bunch of thugs, just like all the other islamic faciests. they are not freedom fighters they are just killers. Only one way to deal with me. Bomb them, bomb them over and over, cut off all aid close the place down. they have proven that they will never stop. Do to them what they want to do to Israel.

[aneed-2009]

to the last comment before mine
how do you dare to say something barbarian like this ,you do not know who are Gazans and you do not know the historic steady of Gaze ,know that well ,Isreal will never get the safety even the infants in their moms'' uteruses unless Gaza live it touchable
one more thing "Israel is to obsolescence"

[neoconrcrazy]

the apartheid jewish state has militarily occupied & stolen Palestinian lands, towns, villages for over 40 years. This "democratic" state has willfully pushed the palestinian population into abject poverty in its attempt to destroy the fabric of their society and to force as many as possible to leave their ancestral homes.

Were I a jew, I''d be ashamed. As a Christian, I am appalled and outraged.

[neoconrcrazy]

"The first air strikes took place as children were leaving school. " CBS

Why do the jews consider their children more precious than palestinian children?

[omnibus66]

Israel is a terrorist state. Time to withdraw all US support.

[neoconrcrazy]

Good work israel - you just created another 1''000 or so potential terrorists.....

israel''s 40 years of military occupation of palestine is the root cause for terrorism world-wide.

[limaur]

....and there goes my resolution to give up smoking!

[neoconrcrazy]

SHUT UP idiot. HAMAS has been firing rockets into Israel since their truce ended.

Posted by BagdadsHere7


oh dear, and how many were killed by these "rockets"?

waiting your answer.....

[neoconrcrazy]

"at least 120 people were killed and more than 250 wounded" -CBS

well, until now there have been no reports of isreali dead from hamas "rocket" attacks, except some damage to some bicycles and an empty garbage can.

[kretosdav]

everyone stop israeli massacre against people of palestine !!!

[neoconrcrazy]

"rockets launched by HAMAS are fired randomly while Israeli missiles are computer guided." bagdadmoron


yeah, computer guided my azz - killing women and children must be then their goal when they target residential buildings, terrorist style.

[gohan31]

does anyone know what is iran doing?

[neoconrcrazy]

"Plumes of black smoke rose over Gaza City, sirens wailed through the streets and women frantically looked for their children. " CBS


two days after the birth of Jesus Christ - have you no shame israel?

[glenn_lewis]

GENOCIDE

[neoconrcrazy]

"Television footage showed Gaza City hospitals crowded with people, civilians rushing in wounded people in cars, vans and ambulances" -CBS


meanwhile, where are all the dead and wounded israelis from the hamas "rocket" attacks ???

[centerfall94]

Religious fanatics killing each other en masse. Not surprising, religion poisons everything. If there wasn''t a lot of innocent people involved, I''d be all for it. Unfortunately, the United States is responsible for arming Israel. Israel is a power only because the United States armed it to the teeth. So we are responsible. No wonder their neighbors are upset.

[arbxxx]

Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas rocket attacks. Are they just supposed to let the rockets land and kill Israeli citizens without any response? Hamas could honor a truce, that at this point Israel is willing to make, but they have vowed not to do this, so they are the ones who are responsible. Stop the rockets and the suicide bombing and peace will come.

[kevboom]

"What about giving the Israelis the state of Texas?"

I''ve always said the Jews are crazy to want to stay in the Middle East and agree America could provide safe harbor sans rocket attacks by setting aside some of the rocky wasteland in southern Utah on which few people currently live. I think the Israelis would find the desert-like terrain similar to what they''re used to in Israel. Beats auctioning thousands of acres of scenic BLM lands to oil and gas bidders which Bush pushed through a few weeks back. The problem, of course, is fundamentalist religion and people who won''t back down from their "cause" whatever that might be. "We''ll NEVER leave OUR holy land--they''ll have to kill us first!" It''s this kind of thinking that just makes me wish the U.S. would wash its hands of Israel and Palestine and let the unreasonable hot heads take each other out. Neither party is innocent in that ridiculous, never-ending war, and for America to prop up Israel year after year with billions in aid of all kinds just makes us a continued target for terrorists with a grudge to bear against the Jews. The Jews have a new promised land--it''s called the United States. The sooner they realize it and abandon that worthless rock they''re trying to scrape a living out of, the better off the world will be. You can''t reason with fundamentalist lunatics, so stop wasting American tax dollars trying to establish peace where it will never happen.

[neoconrcrazy]

israel drains US of blood and treasure - their greed and total disconcern of the plight of millions at their doorstep- their military occupation - their lawless annexation of other peoples land -

all this has created modern terrorism in the ME and beyond.

we have felt its far-reaching evil in NYC on 9-11.

israel must return to its 1967 borders. Shalom.

[apitaly]

Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas rocket attacks. Are they just supposed to let the rockets land and kill Israeli citizens without any response? Hamas could honor a truce, that at this point Israel is willing to make, but they have vowed not to do this, so they are the ones who are responsible. Stop the rockets and the suicide bombing and peace will come.

Posted by arbxxx at 08:24 AM : Dec 27, 2008

Excellent point.. Gaza would make a great parking lot

[neoconrcrazy]

how many israelis were killed by the hamas "rocket attacks" ?

until now the count is : 0

how many palestinians?

men, women and children: 150 ? wounded? 250

israelis are our modern romans, without the honor.

[hamiltongrad]

Neocon : The body count is crazy. Did we have a body count in WWII ? So that, we were mean and bad, if we killed more NAZIs ?
For progressivetards like you, facts are meaningless. The fact that Hamas has been shelling Is with the intent of killing as many people including in schools is what ? no consequence ? Hey look,the rest of the decent people in the world are done explaining acts of self defense to idiots like you.

[jerryspoor]

I believe these people put their religion on the political negotiation table. Religion is non-negotiable.

They should bring religion with them as the foundation of their character or the base of their being but never place it on the negotiation table. To do so means war will exist forever. Until they can incorporate freedom of religion in their society they will never find peace.

If you trace history the Jewish occupation is debatable. We have foreigners occupying our country and it does not pose a problem. Castro took over Cuba and we live with it.

These people have a lot of hate in their hearts and worst of all it is justified on both sides. I question their religion.

[pfness]

Hamas security compounds are often located in civilian areas...
Yeah, we know....they are killing their own people by doing that. People that live in glass houses shouldn''t throw stones.
Only in Islamic countries would they put their own people in harms way and then start rocketing other countries.
They don''t care how many of their people they kill, they just know that all these pictures of bloody children will have clout in the media. The media is too stupid to see that if you put a military complex in the middle of a housing complex that somebody might get hurt. Especially if the military is a suicide bomber killing machine that likes to make war.

Give me a break.

[liptonlight]

Israel must go back to its 1967 borders that existed BEFORE its "pre-emptive" strikes. We will never see peace until that happens. And Israel must apologize for its attack on the USS Liberty in 1967. We should not give them another dime until they do so.

[american_gir]

.May God never Bless ISRAEL


lol agreed.

[neoconrcrazy]

the "rockets" are an excuse to decimate the democratically elected government of hamas which actually only reinforce it. there are no israeli dead from "rocket attacks". a sham.

bush and oldmutt asked for the elections, they got them but dibn''t like the result.

live with it, shalom.

[anitay417]

HackerPC is correct.
Those of who blame Israel all the time in this conflict, please, stop for a moment and ask yourself this question: Do I blame Israel because they are truly at fault, or do I blame them because I secretly dislike Jews? I think most of you, if truly honest with yourselves, will have to admit the latter. And if so, I say to you, your hatred of Jews has blinded you to the facts.

All of this Israel-Hamas violence, 100% of it, would STOP in an instant if only Hamas and the Palestinians would STOP firing rockets into Israel. All of it. Period. Those of you who have the knee-jerk reaction to blame Israel are very, very confused. You are confusing cause and effect. You are in effect, blaming the victim. Ask yourself, if someone was firing bullets into YOUR house, at your kids, wouldn%u2019t YOU feel justified in firing back? And if the cops came, wouldn%u2019t you feel outraged if the cops arrested you instead? That is the way the Israelis feel. They have this little tiny sliver of land. It is their country. And outsiders continue to fire, with no provocation, missiles at them, night and day. Israel will always have the right to defend themselves.

[clowry1611]

you people wishing God to never bless Israel are the reason this country is in the shambles it is in. Pick up a Bible sometime and read it. You will see that anyone that turns against Israel will be dealt with. What has this country done steadily over the past few years...work with Israel to give more of her land away, broker retarded peace deals between her and her enemies. You want to see this country get turned around on the right track (morally, financially, etc)??? Let President Bush be a man of his word and join in and help defend Israel but closing down Hamas. That is all I have to say on the subject.

[neoconrcrazy]

"Gaza militants fired several rockets Saturday after the air offensive began, including one that struck a new target, the town of Kiryat Gat. A missile hit on the town of Netivot, killing an Israeli man and wounding four people, rescue services said." CBS

Score:

dead palestinians: 155
dead israelis : 1

and the palestinians fired AFTER the israelis....CBS

[clowry1611]

fear_crysis,
are you a member of the media?? i mean your ability to twist other peoples words is quite impressive. i just thought maybe you actually work for cbs based on that observation

[pfness]

Iamhungry68....The "Bloods" are criminals. No sane person would idolize them. And the government will not bomb LA just to rid us of them. We are more "humane" than that. We love our citizens even though we can''t protect them against lowlife.
Hamas is cheered as a national hero over there. The people don''t even ''try'' to get rid of them.

You are the one that doesn''t know how stupid you sound.

And as for you "American_gir", God is going to bless Israel no matter who likes it. No matter if "they" like it!! God Chose Jerusalem to put his name there, and so evil wants to be there also.
You''ll remember reading this one day. Scoff all you want. Even Israel doesn''t know how blessed it is.

[trapbreaker]

When I was a little boy living in a small town along the Missouri river, my grandmother would always warn me when I went out to play, "Don''t sass any old folks, stick any beans up your nose, or fire any rockets at Israel."

The Hamas folks in Gaza need to be warned likewise.

.

[jimandvictor]

NeoconRcrazy and endrepubs...

Israel gets 3 billion annually from the U.S. and Palis get 2 billion and Egypt gets close to 2 billion...this does not include the rest of the Arab world. If it was up to me none of these countries should get a dime. Now that being said stop with the poor muslim countries are being ignored by the United States tripe.

Endrepubs...so America has never made Isreal give up anything. If this was true Israel would own the Suez Canal,the pals would have nothing at all,they could have marched into the rest of Syria and flattened those pinheads. Gaza would still be occupied and will soon be again on and on and on. Hamas wants Isreal gone completely no matter what they give up...so what is your solution Israel needs to pick-up and move to Texas.

I still cannot understand why Jews in America by far vote for liberals...it just floors me.

[ajayvee]

More slaughter, Isreal, America applauds you.

[clowry1611]

fear,
you must think highly of yourself to think i have that much time on my hands. running multi IDs is for kids much like yourself, who have more energy. i am just pasing time till i go out for breakfast!

[prelgovisk]

Women, children,school, fear...I wonder why the se words are not mentioned when the rockets fly into Israel and kill jewish people. You sure hear these buzz words when the rockets go the other direction!

[trapbreaker]

What would the Russians do if the people of Georgia fired homemade rockets into Russia? What would the U.S. do if Mexico started firing rockets into the U.S. (Remember the campaign Black Jack Pershing undertook into Mexico after a raid on Columbus New Mexico by Pancho Villa?)

[arbxxx]

Why does everyone think that Hamas is entitled to shoot rockets into Israel, blow up innocent civilians with suicide bombers? How many times does Israel have to give in to these people? Does everyone forget the horrible deeds done by the Palestinians? The Achille Lauro, Entebbe, all of the airline hijackings, the Munich Olympics? And we are supposed to feel sorry for them? Israel is ready and willing to sit and negotiate - but Hamas must also be ready to put down their arms and stop this insane fighting. No one can win this battle - it will just go on forever. And I''m tired of reading posts that just blame Israel and the Jews for everything - how about Yasser Arafat, how about the PLO, how about Black September? Do I need to say any more?

[soldat44]

Those militants "rockets" are usually made of the same technology that you can buy at your local neighborhood hobby shop.

THAT is why no Israeli''''s are bring killed by them - they''''re modified toys, nothing more.

Posted by IamHungry68 at 10:10 AM : Dec 27, 2008

Modified Chinese and Iranian ''toys''.

[impeach___w]

Maybe Iran will be next month around this time. Every new moon, when it''s darkest and musliums are celebrating, an attack happens. Check the at least the last three new moon dates. It''s like clockwork.

[ajayvee]

Palestinians 1, Israel 155.
Hey Barak, Livni, it''s going to take a heck of a lot more slaughter than this for either of you to catch up with Netanyahu in the polls. So, come on, they still have live children in the streets and you still have unused American missiles.

[whatchange-2009]

Israeli air strikes on Gaza and all because they had a few hundred rockets launched into their land? Say it''s not so. How heartless can a people be? They should be able to withstand a few rocket strikes. Some aerial bombardment and a few miscellaneous deaths without lashing out in anger. Oh, of which side am I speaking? Does it matter? They''re both wrong. It''s just that most of the "civilized" world is allied with Israel but don''t let "that mere point" dissuade a sensible peace arrangement. Just let them kill each other off and make an Exxon station and an olive oil plant over there.

[windmaster12]

Arafat rejected the peace plan and then gave the go ahead to the Intifada-- It was a stupid move --Egypt and Jordan have lived beside Israel for all these years without provocation.There''s no doubt their have been incidents on both sides-- But how dumb can the Palestinians be ---- You catch more bees with honey than vinegar ---- Almost all of Israel''s actions are retaliatory in nature--- Take a Tip from Egypt and Jordan --- Try to live in peace with your neighbors --Stop creating more bloodshed for yourselves and your children---- Quit spending your money on arms and start spending it on Schools Hospitals Jobs etc.--

[adeeeb]

bottom line: Israel is always right. Palestenians are always wrongdoers.

[pfness]

Israel doesn''t need to go anywhere. God gave the promised land to Israel. Deal with it. He is coming back at a moment in time when the world comes down against it. And America, being a Christian nation whether anyone likes it or not, will (or should) want to stand with Israel to the last.

[adeeeb]

bottom line: Israel is always right. Palestinians are always wrongdoers.

[slinginrich]

Israel cuts off all routes for commerce, food, water, medical care, etc., then gets pissed when the Palestinians respond rather than lay down and die....
Israel then bombs civilians and tells everyone how they were only defending themselves.
Same sh*t, different day.....
The Reich Wingnut Fundie Taliban is getting awfully tired of waiting for Armageddon and the Rapture, so could you Zionists please get on with it and chuck a few Nukes over the fence??? Thanks