Cast Lead: Summary of Today’s Events

Over 40 armed gunmen were neutralized by IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip over the past day. Ground forces clashed with gunmen in various incidents throughout the day. In several cases, ground forces directed the Air Force in targeting armed operatives who were firing at them. Meanwhile, paratrooper forces uncovered weaponry, camouflage uniforms and communications equipment during searches.

“We continue to face an insane reality of booby-trapped tunnels and booby-trapped schools. In one neighborhood of 150 homes, over 30 homes were found to be rigged with explosives,” IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu said. “Hamas is booby-trapping every home that is abandoned by its residents.”

Armored forces hit various weapons storage facilities, some of them located in the homes of terror operatives. In one case, a tank squad identified a group of gunmen planting an explosive device, fired and confirmed hitting them.

The IAF targeted nearly 60 Hamas targets in Gaza throughout the day, including:

  • Over 20 smuggling tunnels along the Rafah border
  • Approximately 15 cells of armed gunmen
  • 7 weapons production and storage facilities
  • Several rocket launching sites, including the launcher used to attack Be’er Sheva in the morning

Out of 20 missiles launched at Israel today, one directly hit a kindergarten in Ashdod and caused severe damage.

There were no IDF casualties in the fighting today.

Summary of Overnight Events, 11 Jan 2009, 08:24 IST

DOTZ

January 11th, 2009

Summary of Overnight Events

 

Overnight, IDF forces, including infantry, tanks, combat engineers, artillery, and intelligence, continued to operate against Hamas terrorist infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip.

 

Ground forces were involved in a number of incidents in which several armed gunmen were hit.

In one of the incidents, forces identified a group of armed gunmen and directed aerial forces who attacked them. In a separate incident an IDF force in the northern Gaza Strip identified an armed gunman placing an explosive device and fired at him.

 

IAF aircraft attacked over 60 targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including the following:

  • A mosque in the city of Rafah used for storing weaponry such as machine guns and sophisticated anti air-craft missiles. The mosque was also used as a training camp and a gathering place for Hamas members.
  • 10 weaponry storage facilities, some in houses of Hamas members.
  • 10 squads of armed gunmen
  • 9  tunnels used to smuggle weaponry in the Rafah area
  • 3 launching areas
  • An  under ground rocket launcher
  • The house of the Head of Hamas’ military wing, Ahmed Jabri
  • A Hamas police station