BICOM

• Israel is pleased by progress in the shuttle diplomacy with Egypt. Israeli officials have said there are many positive elements being discussed, which need to be looked at in more depth.
• Hamas has rejected UN Security Council Resolution 1860. Due to Hamas’s rejection and continued rocket fire, Israel feels it is not relevant to accept or reject the resolution. Rocket fire from Gaza this morning shows that Hamas has no intention of ending its attacks.
• With ceasefire negotiations ongoing, the IDF is presently halting advancing its operation and is awaiting a decision by the security cabinet. Israel is avidly pursuing diplomacy with Egypt. Israel’s main concern is the prevention of smuggling, which is the key to enabling a long-term and sustainable ceasefire.

Key statements

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri on UN Security Council Resolution 1860 (9/1): “This resolution doesn’t mean that the war is over. We call on the Palestinian fighters to mobilise and be ready to face the offensive, and we urge the Arab masses to carry on with their angry protests.”

Foreign Secretary David Miliband at UN Security Council meeting (1/8): “Mr President I said on Tuesday that our responsibility was to chart a course back to Resolution 1850, today I believe we can do so with a route map set out in this resolution.  Not as a substitute for the decisions that need to be made on the ground but as a complement to them. Our job is to turn the words of this resolution into reality and that is a task to which the United Kingdom will remain wholly committed.  To that extent our work is not finished it must carry on with renewed vigour.”

Colonel Richard Kemp on BBC News 24 (1/9): “I think Israel has very little choice but to carry on with its military operations until it reaches conclusion that it needs, which is to stop Hamas from firing rockets at its people in its territory…Israel doesn’t have any choice but to defend its own people.”

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on diplomatic developments and UN Security Council Resolution 1860 (1/9): “The State of Israel has never agreed that any outside body would determine its right to defend the security of its citizens.  The IDF will continue operations in order to defend Israeli citizens and will carry out the missions with which it has been assigned in the operation.  This morning’s rocket fire against residents of the south only proves that the UN Security Council Resolution 1860 is not practical and will not be honoured in actual fact by the Palestinian murder organisations.”

Senior Israeli security source (1/9): “The defence minister visited the [IDF] centre for ground operations training in Tzeelim, met with reserve soldiers who had just completed their battalion exercises and it is clear to us that a decision regarding the expansion of ground operations must be made within the next 24 hours.”

Situation on the ground

With ceasefire negotiations ongoing, the IDF is presently halting advancing its operation and is awaiting a decision by the security cabinet. Israel is avidly pursuing diplomacy with Egypt. Israel’s main concern is the prevention of smuggling, which is the key to enabling a long-term and sustainable ceasefire.

Ahead of the security cabinet meeting today, the smaller ‘kitchen cabinet’ is expected to meet. Although the situation is fluid, it is believed that Defence Minister Barak is arguing that Israel should not withdraw from the Gaza Strip unilaterally without some kind of agreement. However, Foreign Minister Livni is said to believe that Israel has provided for future deterrence and that the fighting can now be stopped. PM Olmert is believed to feel that the mission’s goals must be reached; the first among these is to bring the rocket fire on Israel to a halt.

Overnight, 50 terror infrastructure sites were targeting, including five sites used to launch rockets (one of which was adjacent to a mosque), a weaponry storehouse, five weaponry production sites, and Hamas command buildings and outposts. The Israeli Navy operated near Deir El Balah in the Central Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas rocket launching sites in order to thwart attempts to fire rockets at Israeli communities.

Diplomatic developments

Israel is pleased by progress in the shuttle diplomacy with Egypt. Israeli officials have said there are many positive elements being discussed, which need to be looked at in more depth. Reporting on his meeting in Cairo, Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad, director of the Political-Security Staff in the Israeli Defence Ministry, said that Egypt was willing to “upgrade its mechanism for supervising and preventing weapons from entering the Gaza Strip through Philadelphi Road.” However, they flatly rule out any international observer force on their territory to help. He also said that Hamas was not willing, as of now, to comply with the Egyptians’ proposal for a ceasefire without a promise that all the crossings would be opened immediately.

Other countries have also expressed their willingness to help prevent smuggling into Gaza. The US has promised Egypt many resources and professional accompaniment to help them seal the Philadelphi Route using the latest electronic means to locate tunnels, including robots. The US is also working for an international naval force that would stop ships from bringing weapons even before reaching Sinai and going from there to Gaza. A number of countries said they were willing to be part of such a force, including France and Germany.

UN Security Council Resolution 1860 was passed by 14 votes, with the US abstaining. Hamas has rejected UN Security Council Resolution 1860. Due to Hamas’s rejection and continued rocket fire, Israel feels it is not relevant to accept or reject the resolution. Rocket fire from Gaza this morning shows that Hamas has no intention of ending its attacks.

The main points of the resolution are as follows:

• An “immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire leading to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.”
• “Welcomes the initiatives aimed at creating and opening humanitarian corridors and other mechanisms for the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid.”
• “Calls on member states to support international efforts to alleviate the humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza, including through urgently needed additional contributions to UNRWA and through the Ad-hoc Liaison Committee.”
• “Condemns all acts of violence and terror directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism.”
• “Calls upon member states to intensify efforts to provide arrangements and guarantees in Gaza in order to sustain a durable ceasefire and calm, including to prevent illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition and to ensure the sustained reopening of the crossing points on the basis of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and in this regard, welcomes the Egyptian initiative, and other regional and international efforts that are underway.”
• “Encourages tangible steps towards intra-Palestinian reconciliation, including in support of mediation efforts of Egypt and the League of Arab States as expressed in the November 25, 2008, statement, and consistent with Security Council Resolution 1850 and other relevant resolutions.”
• “Calls for the renewed and urgent efforts by the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders, as envisaged in Security Council 1850, and recalls the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative.”

 

Tally of missiles, rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza

• Since 2001, total number of identified rocket and mortar shell hits: 8,691.
• Since Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza in August 2005:6,000.
• Since 4 November 2008:896.
• Since the ceasefire ended on 19 December 2008: 831.
• Since Operation Cast Lead began on 27 December 2008:676.

For a daily tally of rockets and mortars fired into Israel, see BICOM Statistics: Total number of identified rocket and mortar shell hits since 2001; daily tally for 2008 and 2009. Please note the new web link.

Humanitarian aid to Gaza

Israel is conducting the latest operation while making sure that food, basic supplies and medical needs are constantly transferred into the Gaza Strip. Israel maintains ongoing contact with humanitarian agencies and enables the constant flow of goods and supplies into the strip.

Since the beginning of operation in Gaza, 623 truckloads of humanitarian aid (14,599 tons) have been transferred at the request of international organisations, the Palestinian Authority and various governments. Israel does not wish to see the humanitarian situation in the strip deteriorate. Preparations are underway to facilitate further shipments expected to arrive in the coming days.

8 January 2009
Israel transferred 89 humanitarian aid trucks to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing, totaling 2,227 tons of food products, medical supplies and medication. 315,000 litres of fuel for the Gaza power station, alongside 143 tons of natural gas for domestic uses were transferred through the Nahal Oz terminal. 223 foreign nationals were permitted entry into Israel to leave Gaza, following requests from their respective governments.

7 January 2009
Throughout the day, the crossings facilitated the movement of 76 trucks loaded with 2,068 tons of humanitarian goods, comprised of donations from Jordan and Egypt and aid on behalf of UNRWA, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Also, 482,000 litres of heavy duty diesel for the power plant, 92,000 litres of diesel for UN humanitarian operations and 43 tons of gas for domestic use were transferred to the Gaza Strip. 

Ongoing activities are taking place to repair additional electrical lines. Nevertheless, most of the population in the Gaza Strip has electricity.

6 January 2009

57 trucks loaded with 1,312 tons of humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing. The trucks contained medical supplies, flour, powdered milk, potatoes, barley and more, shipped to Gaza at the request of international organisations including UNRWA, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation, as well as international donations on behalf of the governments of Jordan, Egypt and Greece. Israel’s humanitarian efforts, in conjunction with international organisations operating in the Gaza Strip, also include medical treatment in Israeli hospitals and infrastructure repairs in the Gaza Strip.

5 January 2009

49 trucks carrying 1,119 tons of food and medicines were transferred to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, including four with medical equipment and medicines. The aid was donated by international organisations – UNRWA, WFP and the ICRC – and by several countries, including Egypt and Jordan. In addition, 215,000 litres of diesel fuel for the power plant, 93,000 litres of diesel for the use of various UN organisations and 50 tons of cooking gas for domestic uses were transferred via the Nahal Oz terminal.

The evacuation of dual nationals is continuing.

2 January 2009
Israel transferred 64 trucks carrying 1,530 tons of humanitarian aid (including basic foodstuffs, medicines and medical supplies, tents and generators) via the Kerem Shalom crossing.

1 January 2009
60 trucks, with approximately 1,360 tons of humanitarian aid, medical supplies and medication were conveyed through Kerem Shalom cargo terminal.

31 December 2008
93 truckloads carrying some 2,500 tons of humanitarian aid, medical supplies and medications were transferred through the Kerem Shalom crossing. The World Food Programme notified the Israeli authorities that their food warehouses in the Gaza Strip are full, with a two-week supply, and they do not require further shipments.

The Nahal Oz fuel crossing remained closed due to continuing fire in the area.

Twelve Palestinians, including two children, were transferred to Israeli hospitals.

30 December 2008
93 truckloads carrying 2,366 tons of humanitarian supplies as well as five ambulances donated by Turkey were transferred to the Gaza Strip. A Red Cross plane arrived with medical supplies for the hospital operating room. The aid included food and medicine provided by the World Food Programme, UNRWA, UNICEF, the ICRC, the World Health Organisation, Doctors without Borders, and Care International, as well as donations from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Turkey.

29 December 2008
63 trucks with 1,545 tons of humanitarian goods (food, medicines and medical supplies) were delivered via the Kerem Shalom crossing. Most of the aid was provided by the International Red Cross, UNRWA, Doctors without Borders, and Care International. Five ambulances from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Ramallah passed through, at the request of the International Red Cross (ICRC). 1,000 units of blood donated by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan were also delivered.

Erez crossing: Four people (patients and their escorts), and ten international staff, including a pregnant employee of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation and her Palestinian husband, left the Gaza Strip and crossed into Israel.

28 December 2008
At the request of international organisations (the International Red Cross, UNRWA, WFP) and of the Palestinian National Authority in Ramallah, 23 truckloads of humanitarian goods such as flour, medicines and medical supplies were transferred via Kerem Shalom crossing.

However, the transfer of additional aid through the crossings is being delayed by the high risk of terrorist attacks on the crossings themselves. There is a long history of such attacks, including:

• 22 May 2008: a Palestinian bomber blew up an explosives-laden truck on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing, causing substantial damage.
• 20 April 2008: Hamas gunmen wounded 13 Israeli soldiers in an assault with mortar shells, explosives-laden vehicles and gunfire against the Kerem Shalom crossing.
• 9 April 2008: Two Israeli civilian fuel truck drivers working at the Nahal Oz fuel depot – which supplies fuel to Gaza – were killed in an attack by Gaza militants.

Further Information

• To visit our new Operation Cast Lead section on our website, click here. It contains daily situation updates, analyses, useful facts and figures, and videos. You can also find the section by going to our homepage and clicking on the Operation Cast Lead button on the right-hand side.
• For a full news review for 8 January, click here.