Israeli Soldiers Killed After Battle in Gaza City Suburb
Hamas claims to have captured soldier on day that 13 other IDF troops were killed
Harriet Sherwood in Tel Aviv
The Guardian, Sunday 20 July 2014 18.09 EDT
Israeli soldiers at the funeral of sergeant Bnaya Rubel in Holon yesterday. IDF sources said 13 soldiers have been killed. Picture: AP/ Ariel Schalit
The Israeli military suffered one of its worst combat days on Sunday, with the death of at least 13 troops in battle and an unconfirmed claim from Hamas that it had kidnapped a soldier inside Gaza.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said they were investigating Hamas's kidnap claim. Speaking on a Hamas television station, a masked spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said: "We have captured a Zionist soldier and the occupation has not admitted that."
The claim came after a seven-hour battle between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters in the neighbourhood of Shujai'iya, the first of further confrontations in the coming days, according to a senior Israeli military source.
IDF soldiers encountered a sophisticated, disciplined, brave, highly trained and well-equipped army of militants, he said.
"We have to admit we were facing good fighters, very well equipped with sophisticated weapons systems, accurate weapons, heavy weapons including mortars, booby traps.
"It was very difficult fighting," the Israeli source said. "It's very difficult for us to surprise them. They were simply waiting for us."
Most of the Hamas fighters had been trained in Iran, he said. "We can trace the methods," he said, referring to the tactics of embedding into densely populated areas for protection. "We've seen the same with Hezbollah [in Lebanon]."
But, he added: "We've learned lessons, and we'll do better tonight and in the coming nights." Israeli troops were still on the ground in Shujai'iya, although in control was "not the exact term".
The official, speaking at the IDF's headquarters in Tel Aviv, warned that similar battles were to be expected in the coming days in pursuit of its goal of locating and destroying tunnels used by militants to launch attacks against Israel.
Many tunnel entrances had been found in Shujai'iya, which he described as a "stronghold of Hamas", in the course of Sunday's battle. The IDF has discovered about 15 tunnels since the start of the ground operation but there were many more than initially expected, said the official.
He described it as a "very sophisticated network within Gaza and into Israel", with multiple entrances, shafts and offshoots.
The IDF had used robots to destroy tunnels as well as conventional methods, he said, adding that the decision to give advance warning to civilians in Gaza of impending operations gave a clear indication to Hamas of Israel's military intentions.
Leaflets and text messages had given the residents of Shujai'iya at least two days' warning to leave their homes by a specific deadline, with instructions about which streets marked a safe area, the source said.
"They didn't leave because of threats from Hamas," he said. "So many civilian casualties is bad but that's what Hamas wanted us to face, the civilian human shield."
Although the official said he would like to see a ceasefire, he conceded it would be difficult for Israel now to abandon its stated goal of locating and destroying cross-border tunnels.
"It can take days, but I hope it won't take more than that," he said. "We have still green light [from the politicians], we have a mission, we are going to fulfil it. We have as much force to open as many fronts as we need."
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| 13 IDF soldiers have been killed in the Gaza invasion. |
Harriet Sherwood in Tel Aviv
The Guardian, Sunday 20 July 2014 18.09 EDT
Israeli soldiers at the funeral of sergeant Bnaya Rubel in Holon yesterday. IDF sources said 13 soldiers have been killed. Picture: AP/ Ariel Schalit
The Israeli military suffered one of its worst combat days on Sunday, with the death of at least 13 troops in battle and an unconfirmed claim from Hamas that it had kidnapped a soldier inside Gaza.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said they were investigating Hamas's kidnap claim. Speaking on a Hamas television station, a masked spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said: "We have captured a Zionist soldier and the occupation has not admitted that."
The claim came after a seven-hour battle between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters in the neighbourhood of Shujai'iya, the first of further confrontations in the coming days, according to a senior Israeli military source.
IDF soldiers encountered a sophisticated, disciplined, brave, highly trained and well-equipped army of militants, he said.
"We have to admit we were facing good fighters, very well equipped with sophisticated weapons systems, accurate weapons, heavy weapons including mortars, booby traps.
"It was very difficult fighting," the Israeli source said. "It's very difficult for us to surprise them. They were simply waiting for us."
Most of the Hamas fighters had been trained in Iran, he said. "We can trace the methods," he said, referring to the tactics of embedding into densely populated areas for protection. "We've seen the same with Hezbollah [in Lebanon]."
But, he added: "We've learned lessons, and we'll do better tonight and in the coming nights." Israeli troops were still on the ground in Shujai'iya, although in control was "not the exact term".
The official, speaking at the IDF's headquarters in Tel Aviv, warned that similar battles were to be expected in the coming days in pursuit of its goal of locating and destroying tunnels used by militants to launch attacks against Israel.
Many tunnel entrances had been found in Shujai'iya, which he described as a "stronghold of Hamas", in the course of Sunday's battle. The IDF has discovered about 15 tunnels since the start of the ground operation but there were many more than initially expected, said the official.
He described it as a "very sophisticated network within Gaza and into Israel", with multiple entrances, shafts and offshoots.
The IDF had used robots to destroy tunnels as well as conventional methods, he said, adding that the decision to give advance warning to civilians in Gaza of impending operations gave a clear indication to Hamas of Israel's military intentions.
Leaflets and text messages had given the residents of Shujai'iya at least two days' warning to leave their homes by a specific deadline, with instructions about which streets marked a safe area, the source said.
"They didn't leave because of threats from Hamas," he said. "So many civilian casualties is bad but that's what Hamas wanted us to face, the civilian human shield."
Although the official said he would like to see a ceasefire, he conceded it would be difficult for Israel now to abandon its stated goal of locating and destroying cross-border tunnels.
"It can take days, but I hope it won't take more than that," he said. "We have still green light [from the politicians], we have a mission, we are going to fulfil it. We have as much force to open as many fronts as we need."
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