DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Egyptian Mediated Ceasefire Being Observed Between Israel and Hamas-Led Gaza Militants

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT:  Egyptian Mediated Ceasefire Being Observed Between Israel and Hamas-Led Gaza Militants
*Israel, Palestinians Agree on Long-Term Gaza Ceasefire

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 14, 2014: Israel and the Palestinians on Tuesday agreed on a long-term Egyptian-brokered ceasefire to end the devastating 50-day war in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip that has killed over 2,200 people. 

"An agreement has been reached between the two sides and we are awaiting the announcement from Cairo to determine the zero hour for implementation," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
Zuhri said Egypt was expected to make an official announcement on the deal.

Cairo's initiative, Palestinians officials said, called for an indefinite halt to seven weeks of hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza's blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt and a widening of the enclave's fishing zone in the Mediterranean, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Under a second stage that would begin a month later, Israel and the Palestinians would discuss the construction of a Gaza sea port and an Israeli release of Hamas prisoners in the West Bank, the officials said.

A senior Palestinian official also confirmed that the Palestinians have reached an agreement with Israel on a "permanent" truce in Gaza.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the claimed deal to end the deadly conflict in and around the enclave.

The Palestinian official gave no time for when a ceasefire would take effect but said President Mahmud Abbas would give further details in a speech from his West Bank headquarters at 1600 GMT (2130 IST). "The contacts that have been going on have led to a permanent ceasefire, a (deal to) end the blockade and a guarantee that Gaza's demands and needs will be met," the official said speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Islamist Hamas movement, de facto ruler of Gaza and party to the Abbas-led efforts to agree a truce, also said a deal had been struck with Israel. "The negotiations ended with an agreement which embodies the resistance of our people and a victory for the resistance," its exiled deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzuk wrote on his Facebook page.

The Palestinian official said the truce deal had been finalised after 48 hours of intensive shuttle diplomacy by Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Palestinian delegation to the protracted, on-off truce talks in Cairo. "Over the past 48 hours, he has been shuttling between the leadership of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, all the factions, and Egyptian leaders, travelling between Ramallah, Gaza, Doha and overseas," the official said.

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DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Isareli Operation Continues

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Isareli Operation Continues

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth 
 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 24, 2014: Israel soldiers sit in the shadow of a military vehicle at an undisclosed location along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, in Israel, August 22, 2014. 

Israel had withdrawn its ground troops out of Gaza earlier in August but there have been calls by hardliners in the Israeli government to increase the military's operations against Hamas and other militant groups. 

Israel's cabinet was reportedly considering calling up 10,000 reservists. 
(EPA/ATEF SAFADI)

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DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Gaza conflict - Is Israel's Mission Accomplished?

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Gaza conflict - Is Israel's Mission Accomplished?

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 24, 2014: A Palestinian man holding a Palestinian national flag argues with an Israeli policewoman, during a protest against the Israeli offensive in Gaza, in the West Bank city of Hebron August 22, 2014. 

(REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)

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DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Israeli Ground Troops Enter Gaza after 10 Days of Bombings And Airstrikes As Hamas Threatens To Make IDF Pay A 'High Price'

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Israeli Ground Troops Enter Gaza after 10 Days of Bombings And Airstrikes As Hamas Threatens To Make IDF Pay A 'High Price'
*Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the ground offensive in a bid to halt rockets being fired at Israel
*The ground operation will include infantry, artillery and armored corps, along with aerial and naval support
*Hamas: Israel will pay a heavy price for its ground operation
*Israel and Palestine have been fighting an intense cross border war for the past 10 days as other nations fail to help them come to a truce
*240 people have been killed in Gaza - including seven children on Thursday - and 1,800 have been injured; one person has died in Israel
*Israel had called up 48,000 reserve soldiers

*Later on Thursday the Cabinet authorized the military to call up 18,000 more

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AP, Reuters & James Nye
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 19, 2014: Israel resumed its air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday a day after holding its fire in deference to an Egyptian-proposed cease-fire deal that failed to get Hamas militants to halt rocket attacks.

Hamas has vowed that Israel will 'pay a high price' for their 'foolish' actions after their military began a ground invasion of Gaza on Thursday evening.

Thousands of troops from the Israel Defense Force backed by tanks launched amphibious, air and ground incursions into the narrow Gaza strip after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military action in a bid to stop rockets being fired from Gaza.

The assault, which began at 10pm local time, followed a heavy barrage of rockets fired at Tel Aviv by Hamas militants from Gaza who have promised 'dreadful consequences' for Israel in the aftermath of the invasion.

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Blaze: Smoke from flares rises in the sky in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza strip as Israel launched a large-scale ground offensive

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Blast: A picture taken on Thursday shows an explosion following an Israeli strike in Gaza City

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Heavy attack: An Israeli rocket is fired into the northern Gaza Strip on July 17, 2014 as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday instructed the military to begin a ground offensive in Gaza

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Tracer: An Israeli rocket is fired into the northern Gaza Strip July 17, 2014. The Israeli military says Gaza militants have fired more than 1,300 rockets into Israel

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Full scale assault: An Israeli missile hits Palestinian buildings in Gaza City

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Detonations: An Israeli army flare illuminating the sky above the northern Gaza strip on 17 July 2014 as members of the IDF begin their invasion

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Response: Palestinian missiles are fired from Gaza City toward Israel following Israeli air strikes on July 17, 2014. Israel launched a ground operation in Gaza late Thursday on the 10th day of an offensive to stamp out rocket attacks 

 

Obama says US supports Israel's right to self-defense

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IDF soldier prepares: Israel announced the start of a Gaza ground campaign on Thursday after 10 days of aerial and naval bombardments failed to stop persistent Palestinian rocket attacks, but it signalled the invasion would be limited in scope

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Forces mass: Israeli Markava tanks heading toward the Israeli Gaza border, 18 July 2014. The Israeli military launched a ground operation overnight in the Gaza Strip, following the failure of ceasefire efforts after a 10-day air campaign

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Power: The Israeli military launched a ground offensive on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Thursday night after days of heavy bombardment, the IDF said

The IDF's attack follows a brief humanitarian truce and despite an appeal from Washington, which cautioned against a land assault and for Israel to do more to protect civilian lives.

'The prime minister and defense minister have instructed the IDF to begin a ground operation tonight in order to hit the terror tunnels from Gaza into Israel,' the official statement said as military officials announced that  an additional 18,000 reservists have been called up to bolster the 48,000 already summoned.

The operation will include 'infantry, armored corps, engineer corps, artillery and intelligence combined with aerial and naval support', a statement from the Israeli military added.

The army said the aim of the operation is to protect Israeli lives and crush Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

The objective was 'to establish a reality in which Israeli residents can live in safety and security without continued indiscriminate terror, while striking a significant blow to Hamas's terror infrastructure'.

And in extraordinary scenes played out live on CNN, Israeli's gathered on a hill and cheered as missiles launched by their military hit targets inside Gaza.

So incensed by this was British reporter, Magnay, that she took to Twitter to express her disgust after she claims she was intimidated by the baying mob.

'Israelis on hill above Sderot cheer as bombs land on #gaza; threaten to 'destroy our car if i say a word wrong'. Scum'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2695422/Hamas-Israel-resume-attacks-brief-truce.html#ixzz37zntZWe2
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*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AP, Reuters & James Nye
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DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Israeli Troops Enter Gaza To Take Out Missile Sites

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Israeli Troops Enter Gaza To Take Out Missile Sites

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Dean Schabner - ABC +
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 13, 2014: Israeli ground troops entered northern Gaza tonight to take out a number of missile launch sites, according to the Israeli military.
The move comes after weeks of growing tensions and nearly a week of escalating missile strikes from both sides.

The mission was launched early Sunday local time comes after the UN Security Council urged the two sides to reach a cease fire, and the Israeli government said it hit northern Gaza "with great force" to prevent more Hamas rocket attacks.

The IDF, the Israeli military, said its goal in crossing into northern Gaza was to dismantle some of the sites that Hamas militants have been using to launch rockets into northern Israel.

During the incursion there was an exchange of fire with militants that left four Israeli soldiers lightly wounded, according to the IDF.

The IDF troops returned to Israel after the mission, and no soldiers were left in Gaza, the Israeli military said.

The Israeli naval commando raid in Gaza reported earlier occurred in the Al-Sudaniya beach to the northwest of the Strip, Al Jazeera reported.

The Israeli force encountered Palestinian gunmen, and a battle ensued that included the use of heavy arms. Palestinian sources said three Hamas fighters were killed, DPA reported.

What is not clear is whether this brief surge into northern Gaza by the Israeli military is a pre-cursor to a full scale ground invasion, but all along the road toward northern Gaza ABC News correspondents have seen what appear to be the preparations for one. There are tanks and troops amassed by the border.

The Israeli military has been saying for a couple of days that it is ready, and tens of thousands of troops have been mobilized in support of a potential ground invasion.

The IDF had earlier warned residents of the northern Gaza Strip to leave their homes, saying it was for their own safety.

The conflict had already escalated Saturday, with Hamas bombarding Tel Aviv with the most rockets yet, and Israel responding by pummeling the Gaza Strip.

In the five days of bombardment by Israeli missiles, more than 156 Palestinians have been killed, according to officials there.

One of the Israeli strikes hit a center for the disabled where Palestinians said two patients were killed and four people seriously hurt. In a second attack, on Saturday evening, an Israeli warplane flattened the home of Gaza's police chief and damaged a nearby mosque as evening prayers ended, killing at least 18 people, officials said.

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DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Launches Surprise Live-Fire Drill In Golan

DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Launches Surprise Live-Fire Drill In Golan 
*Exercise in Golan Heights aims to test army readiness and fitness in North and Central Commands, Artillery Corps

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Yaakov Lappin - Jerusalem Post

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 19, 2012: The IDF launched a surprise drill early Wednesday morning on the Golan Heights.

Units were scrambled to the North without warning following an order was given by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz.

The exercise is aimed at testing the fitness and readiness of several IDF units, with the Artillery Corps taking up center stage.

The Air Force has joined units from the IDF's Northern and Central Commands to take part in the drill. Other military forces are also taking part.

The exercise will end with a live fire exercise on Wednesday afternoon.

"This drill is part of a routine program of checks and surprise exercises held throughout the year by the IDF Comptroller. It is being held under the command of Brig.-Gen. Roee Riptin, who is the chief artillery officer," the IDF Spokesman's Unit said.

Sources in the IDF said the drill was planned ahead of time, and that it should not be seen as a sign of a change in the level of alert.

It comes on the heels of a major Golani Brigade infantry and Armored Corps drill, which was was jointly held in the Golan Heights over recent weeks.


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*IDF Launches Surprise Live-Fire Drill In Golan Heights

The drill, to include Northern Command, Central Command, and Air Force troops, is meant to test the IDF’s readiness for an ‘emergency situation.

The Israel Defense Forces General Staff launched a comprehensive surprise drill on Wednesday, which will include the airlifting of forces to the Golan Heights and a live fire exercise, set to take place later in the evening.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz notified the units involved in the drill overnight, as the drill is meant to test the level of preparation of various units, including the Northern Command, Central Command, Air Force, and others.

The units involved specialize in offensive firepower, and for this reason they were chosen to participate in the drill, meant to test their readiness for an emergency situation.

The drill itself is expected to end in the evening, and is being overseen by the IDF’s Chief Artillery Officer, Brig. Gen. Roei Riftin, and is part of IDF efforts to examine the quality of operations, led by the IDF comptroller.

The drill was planned ahead of time and does not suggest the IDF has raised its level of preparation. However, such a test of the IDF’s ability to move a large number of forces from the Central Command to the Golan Heights, by way of helicopters, and to hold a comprehensive live-fire drill, examines the IDF’s ability to launch a serious military operation or even go to war.

A similar surprise drill was held on Yom Kippur Eve last year, involving two IDF divisions, which focused on testing the level of preparation for reserve units for emergency call-ups. Last year’s drill involved the emergency call-up of two reserve combat companies from the Central Command. Then, an IDF official said that holding the drill right before Yom Kippur was “more than a coincidence.”

Last week, the IDF began work on reinforcing the fence on the Israel-Syria border in the Golan Heights. Plans drafted by the IDF Northern Command call for placing dozens of new information-gathering sensors along the fence, electrifying parts of it so that it will warn of intruders, and laying mines along parts of the border.

Over the years, severe weather in the Golan Heights has battered the fence to the point where in certain places, it barely exists.

The Northern Command's main concern is the possibility that terrorists will try to launch a cross-border attack on IDF soldiers or on Israeli communities in the Golan. The army's assumption is that the deteriorating situation in Syria is liable to lead to an increase in terrorist activity near the border. Army sources said the volume of attempts to penetrate the border has already increased.


*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Yaakov Lappin - Jerusalem Post
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