Major trouble in Gaza while the world's attention is fixed elsewhere.
"All-Out
War" Coming: Record Number Of Israeli Tanks Amassed On Gaza
Border
19
October, 2018
After
months of violence and widespread protests along the Israeli-Gaza
border fence, Israeli is quickly ramping up its military presence
with a show of force a day after launching deadly airstrikes on Gaza
in response to what officials say were two rockets fired from the
strip earlier this week.
Reuters
has reported some 60
Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers now
stationed at a deployment area along the border as of Thursday, which
is the
largest reported mustering of forces since the 2014 war between
Israel and Hamas.
On
Thursday a Reuters photographer counted some 60 tanks and armored
troop carriers at a deployment area near the Gaza Strip. Via
Reuters)
Special
UN envoy for the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, told the
UN Security Council on Thursday that "we
remain on the brink of another potentially devastating conflict,
a conflict that nobody claims to want, but a conflict that needs much
more than just words to prevent".
One
of the rockets launched Wednesday reportedly landed in the sea,
however, Israeli officials said it came dangerously close to densely
populated Tel Aviv. Hamas, for its part, denied responsibility for
the rocket launches and said it would investigate.
Meanwhile Israel
retaliated in Wednesday airstrikes on Gaza, which reportedly killed
at least one Palestinian while injuring several more. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu further convened his security
cabinet on the same day of the Gaza rocket launches and promised to
take "very strong action" if such attacks continued.
Israel
largest armor deployment since the 2014 war was documented by Reuters
this week.
On
Tuesday Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman was quoted
as saying,
"We must land a strong blow against Hamas. That's the only way
to lower the level of violence to zero or close to zero." He
said that Israel's response must be harsh "even
at a price of moving to a wide-scale confrontation".
Israeli
press reports at the end of this week are consistently
warning that "Hamas
and Israel are one step closer to all-out war" as
Israeli tanks and troops continue to muster at the border.
An
Egyptian delegation is reportedly in contact with both sides and are
trying to prevent a major conflict from erupting. One Palestinian
official involved in talks with the Egyptians told Reuters, "The
situation is delicate. No one wants a war."
However,
the official described Gaza as at a breaking point: "Palestinian
factions are demanding an end to the Israeli blockade that strangled
life and business in Gaza," he said.
UN
envoy Mladenov also confirmed before the UN that Gaza's economy
is in free fall, with unemployment at a stunning 53% and 70% of
Palestinian youth jobless (according to the World Bank), and further
the coastal strip of 2 million people is under near total Israeli
blockade. "Gaza
is imploding. This is not hyperbole.
This is not alarmism. It is a
reality," Mladenov
told the UN Security Council.
"Barring
substantial steps to reverse the current course, this precarious
sense of calm is doomed to give way under the mounting pressure. It
is already beginning to fray,"
he added.
It
appears tensions could explode into yet another round of war starting
as early as this weekend. Given the threats of Israeli officials this
week, it could slide into the bloodiest campaign in years.
Israel
deploys Tanks, Armor, Seals Gaza with Cement Blocks
19
October, 2018
Invasion
of the Gaza Strip by Israeli Defense Forces is now deemed IMMINENT.
The
Israeli Security Cabinet met Wednesday for many hours and when the
meeting ended, even my former colleagues who provide me with Covert
Intelligence could not get information. That has now
changed.
The
Israeli Cabinet has approved a change in the "Rules of
Engagement" for the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) pertaining to
the weekly riots and arson/missile attacks emanating from Gaza.
The new policy: ZERO
TOLERANCE.
Israel deploying "many" tanks
In
support of the planned response, Israel is deploying Tanks and
Armored Personnel Carriers (APC's) to the area surrounding the Gaza
Strip. A photographer reports seeing at least 60 IDF tanks and APC’s
gathered at one location on the Gaza border
The
video below shows to extent to which heavy armor has been built-up.
One does not move this type of equipment into the field unless one
intends to use it IMMINENTLY.
The
area around the Gaza Strip has now been declared a "Closed
Military Zone" and is being sealed-off with large cement blocks.
New
batteries of Iron Dome missile Defense systems are being hastily
installed in many cities in central Israel as seen in the photo
below:
There
is widespread expectation by the civilian population of vast missile
barrages coming from Gaza WITHIN HOURS of the publication of this
story.
Defense
Minister Avigdor Liberman presented a plan to initiate a harsh
response against Hamas. At the same time, the IDF, with the
encouragement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, presented another
plan whereby response would be according to what was happening on the
ground and only if the terrorist organizations tried to attack
Israel.
Either
way, events involving Israel and the Gaza Strip are believed to be
"going hot" within HOURS.
All
Egyptian Flags flown by homes or businesses inside Gaza, have
suddenly been taken down. Not known why.
Arab
media in Gaza is publicly calling for all Gazans to participate in
protests Friday.
Israel
is 7 hours ahead of the US east coast, and events are expected to
kick-off after daily prayers later today.
Young
people inside Gaza have been conducting what they call "night
diversion" by burning tires, firing lasers in an effort to blind
Israeli troops from seeing anything taking place inside Gaza.
AIRLINES
BEING RE-ROUTED
Ben
Gurion Airport has been ORDERED to change landing routes due to
situation:
My
former colleagues in the Intelligence Community have directly told me
to "The
people in Gaza are not backing down. The Israelis are not
backing down. Today is the day. Expect war to break out
later today."
These
men do not generally talk this way. For them to say those words
to me is an incredible thing.
Take
them at their word.
LIVE UPDATES FROM 9:59 AM EDT --
Hamas
denies the reports that rioters are being told to stay away from the
Gaza border fence. They said the border fence will 'burn' today.
The
protests officially started at 3:30 PM Israel local time (7 hours
ahead of US east coast) so things are already beginning there as this
update appears in the USA. Reports that 10,000 rioters are
already arriving towards the Gaza border fence
Hamas
and Islamic Jihad have reportedly raised their alert status to the
"third degree"
***** First
death being reported on the Gaza border near Khan Younis.*****
Egyptian
officials are urging Hamas to immediately stop all the border
marches.
IDF
is setting up mobile bomb shelters near Gaza.
Large
amount of explosives: IEDs, Gernades being thrown at Israeli soldiers
on the Gaza border. Explosions are heard constantly.
UPDATE
11:29 AM EDT --
Over
15,000 currently rioting on the Gaza border. Over 100 grenades and
IED’s have been thrown so far. Multiple infiltrations and damage to
the security fence, with some IDF equipment stolen from a military
position and an IDF vehicle damaged by an IED.
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