GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships surrounded Gaza's largest city and fought militants at close range Sunday, the first full day of an overwhelming ground offensive in the coastal territory.
Israel said it has inflicted a heavy blow against Hamas as it expands a weeklong offensive meant to stop rocket fire on southern Israel. But spiraling civilian casualties among Palestinians fueled an international outcry, even as the U.S. blocked approval of a U.N. Security Council statement Saturday night calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Israel's ground forces moved in after nightfall Saturday following hours of intense, fiery artillery shelling to clear the way, and Hamas warned that its fighters would turn Gaza into an Israeli "graveyard."
Palestinians reported clashes early Monday in eastern Gaza near the border with Israel. Hamas militants fired rocket-propelled grenades and mortars at advancing Israeli tanks. Explosions could be heard in Gaza City as aircraft attacked buildings. There was no immediate word about casualties.
On Sunday, Israeli soldiers fought primarily in open areas in the launching zones used by Gaza's militants to send rockets raining down on Israeli cities. As the troops in three brigade-size formations moved in, residents of those Israeli cities began cautiously emerging from bomb shelters in hopes that the rocket fire would taper off.
Backing up the troops, mobile artillery units fired shells that exploded in veils of white smoke over Gaza's urban skyline. Tanks pushed south of Gaza City as deep as the abandoned settlement of Netzarim, which Israel left along with other communities when it pulled out of Gaza in 2005.
That effectively cut off Gaza City, the territory's largest population center with some 400,000 residents, from the rest of Gaza to the south.
Israel's military chief said Hamas fighters were trying to draw soldiers deeper into Gaza's sprawling, densely packed urban areas, where the military said militants were shielding themselves behind civilians.
"You entered like rats," Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan told Israeli soldiers in a statement on Hamas' Al Aqsa TV. "Gaza will be a graveyard for you, God willing," he said.
Israeli forces have not yet entered urban areas, said Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu, the chief army spokesman. He warned, however, that the operation was not a "school trip" and would be long and demanding.
The ground invasion risks turning into intense urban combat, with house-to-house fighting, sniper fire and booby-traps. Hamas is believed to have some 20,000 gunmen and has had time to prepare.
To guard against hidden explosives, Israel's ground forces moved through fields and orchards with bomb-sniffing dogs.
Since the ground assault began, 64 Palestinian civilians have been killed, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, a Health Ministry official. The new deaths brought the death toll in the Gaza Strip to more than 512 since Dec. 27. The tally is based on figures from the U.N. and Palestinian health officials as well as a count by The Associated Press.
Five Israelis have been killed since the offensive began. One soldier has been killed in the ground operation and about 40 were wounded, some of them in heavy exchanges of fire near the militant stronghold of Jebaliya, a town on Gaza City's northern outskirts, the army said. Heavy Israeli casualties could undermine what has so far been overwhelming public support for the operation.
At one hospital in the northern village of Beit Lahiya, medics carrying three injured children in their arms rushed them to treatment. One of the children had a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his head and covering his eyes.
An Israeli shell also struck an ambulance in the town, killing a paramedic, said Marwan Abu Ras, a hospital administrator. The relief organization Oxfam, which said the ambulance belonged to a partner organization, al-Awda Hospital, confirmed the shelling.
An airstrike hit another ambulance belonging to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza City, killing three other paramedics, said medic Jamal Hawajiri. That ambulance crew was driving to a Hamas training site where there were reports of wounded.
An Israeli army spokesman said he had no information on the incidents.
The Israeli army said it had killed dozens of armed Hamas gunmen, but Gaza officials could confirm only a handful of dead fighters — in part because rescue teams could not reach the battle zones.
Condemnation of Israel's ground operation poured in from the Middle East and Europe.
"The violence has to stop," said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy scheduled talks Monday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. While blaming Hamas for causing Palestinian suffering with rocket fire that led to the Israeli offensive, Sarkozy has condemned Israel's use of ground troops, reflecting general world opinion. Sarkozy and other diplomats making their way to the region are expected to press hard for a cease-fire.
Israel has four main demands: and end to Gaza rocket fire, a halt to Palestinian attacks, international supervision of a truce and an agreement to stop Hamas from re-arming. Hamas demands a cessation of Israeli attacks and opening of vital Gaza-Israel cargo crossings, Gaza's main lifeline.
U.S. officials maintained their firm support for Israel and squarely blamed Hamas.
Vice President Dick Cheney said Israel "didn't seek clearance or approval from us" before pushing into Gaza.
Sens. Harry Reid and Dick Durbin — the top two Democrats in the chamber — and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell all described Israel's actions as understandable.
"I think what the Israelis are doing is very important," Reid said. "I think this terrorist organization, Hamas, has got to be put away. They've got to come to their senses."
Israeli President Shimon Peres said that Israel had to push forward and that a cease-fire was pointless without a halt to Hamas rocket fire.
"Well, clearly, if there is somebody (who) can stop terror with a different strategy, we shall accept it," he said on ABC's "This Week."
"We shall not accept the idea that Hamas will continue to fire and we shall declare a cease-fire. It does not make any sense."
Palestinians said the Israeli military broke into broadcasts on the Hamas TV channel, Al Aqsa, appealing to Palestinians not to agree to serve as human shields for the militants. The message read, "Israel is acting only against Hamas and has no interest in harming you."
The ground operation is the second phase in an offensive that began as a weeklong aerial onslaught aimed at halting Hamas rocket fire that has reached deeper and deeper into Israel, threatening major cities and one-eighth of Israel's population of 7 million.
More than 45 rockets and mortar shells fell in Israel on Sunday morning, sending residents scrambling for bomb shelters. Four Israelis were lightly wounded.
In Gaza City, civilians cowered inside as battles raged, while terrified residents in other areas fled in fear. In the southern town of Rafah, one man loaded a donkey cart with mattresses and blankets preparing to flee.
Lubna Karam, 28, said she and the other nine members of her family spent the night huddled in the hallway of their Gaza City home. The windows of the house were blown out days earlier in an Israeli airstrike, and the family has been without electricity for a week, surviving without heat and eating cold food.
"We keep hearing the sounds of airplanes and we don't know if we'll live until tomorrow or not," she said.
Severe damage to Gaza's phone network was pushing the territory closer to complete isolation. The Palestinian phone company Paltel Group said 90 percent of Gaza's cellular service was down, as well as many landlines, because of frequent power cuts and the inability of technicians to reach work sites.
In his first public comments on the operation, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet Sunday that Israel could not allow its civilians to continue to be targeted by rockets from Gaza.
"This operation was unavoidable," he said.
Military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin told the Cabinet Hamas was using mosques, public institutions and private houses as ammunition stores, Cabinet secretary Oved Yehezkel told reporters.
Israel approved the mobilization of thousands more reservists in addition to tens of thousands called up on Saturday. Defense officials said the extra forces could enable a far broader ground offensive.
The troops could also be used in the event Palestinian militants in the West Bank or Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon launch attacks, as Hezbollah did in 2006 when Israel was in the midst of a large operation in Gaza.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Israeli troops and tanks slice deep into Gaza
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
http://soccerlens.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/gerrard.jpg
PARIS: Roger Federer faces an early start to the 2009 season as he begins his campaign to reclaim the world number one spot from Rafael Nadal.
The Swiss star was deposed from the top ranking by Nadal in 2008 with the Spaniard also taking his Wimbledon crown after a five-year reign.
Federer will begin his new year in the unlikely surroundings of the Zayed Sports City at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex where Nadal, as well as four other top 10 players, will battle for the $250,000 top prize.
"Never before have I started a tennis year as early as the one ahead. I will be back in action on January 1," said Federer ahead of the January 1-3 exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi.
"I'm looking forward to the tournament, which is taking place for the first time, as well as the entire season of 2009. There is such a large number of challenges lying ahead - facing them, working hard and giving my best to succeed is precisely why I love my job so much."
Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick and James Blake make-up the six-man field in the UAE.
Federer said he was taking a lot of positives from 2008 where he picked up an Olympic gold medal, in the doubles with compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka, as well as successfully defending his US Open title, his 13th Grand Slam triumph.
"Looking back at the past 365 days a lot of unforgettable experiences come to mind," Federer told his website.
"But there are, of course, also the tough moments I had to go through. I faced an unexpectedly difficult training period and exhausting start of the season due to illness precisely 12 months ago.
"I spent a great deal of the year battling with the lack of practice and hours of training that I faced at the time."
Federer struggled with glandular fever at the start of the year and lost his Australian Open title to Novak Djokovic.
"So having played another three Grand Slam finals and having brought home the US Open trophy as well as reaching Olympic heights together with Stan Wawrinka makes me just the more proud.
"I was honoured to receive the Laureus title as Athlete of the Year again and also lift the trophy at my home-tournament in Basel once more. These are some of the truly wonderful, emotional moments I had the privilege to experience."
Meanwhile, there seems to be no end to the Nadal success story.
The Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion was the subject of a marathon four-hour special aired by Spanish TV over Christmas, documenting his remarkable 2008 campaign.
After the three-day UAE event, Federer and Nadal will resume their competitive rivalry at the Qatar Open which starts in Doha on January 5.
Gerrard charged with assault after incident at bar
LONDON: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was charged with assault and affray by police early on Tuesday over a brawl outside a bar that left a disk jockey hospitalized with facial injuries.
Merseyside police officers took the decision 24 hours after the England midfielder was arrested in Southport while celebrating Liverpool's emphatic 5-1 victory at Newcastle on Sunday that extended its lead atop the Premier League to three points.
The 28-year-old Gerrard was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray, an offense that carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.
He was released on bail to appear in court on January 23, 2009 with John Doran, 29, and Ian Smith, 19, who were charged with the same offenses.
Three other men, who were arrested with Gerrard on Monday morning, were released without charge on police bail pending further inquiries.
Liverpool, which next faces Preston on Saturday in the FA Cup, was making no comment.
In the altercation outside the Lounge Inn, the bar's 34-year-old DJ had a tooth broken and sustained cuts to his forehead, although he was later released from hospital, a police official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to release the information.
Officers only began interviewing the suspects on Monday afternoon and Gerrard's wife Alex Curran was seen near the police station but drove off without answering reporters' questions.
Spots of blood and shards of broken glass were visible on the floor of the venue, which was closed on Monday.
The modern restaurant, which becomes a nightclub later in the evening, in the seaside town of Southport is less than 10 miles from Gerrard's home of Formby in Merseyside.
The other men arrested, who are not believed to be footballers, were from the Huyton area of Merseyside, where Gerrard was brought up and spotted by Liverpool scouts at the age of eight while playing for Whiston Juniors.
Gerrard is Liverpool's most influential player and crucial to its bid to win the English league title for the first time since 1990, scoring twice and setting up another goal in Sunday's victory at Newcastle.
Manager Rafa Benitez hailed his talisman's maturity last month.
"He is an example to everyone," Benitez said. "He always trains hard and is a good professional. He is always committed on the pitch, it is a kind of leadership that all captains should aspire to."
Gerrard, who has played 70 matches for England, led Liverpool to the Champions League title in 2005, which prompted his appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
His status as one of the world's best midfielders was recognized by his fellow international professionals in October when he was named in FIFPro's team-of-the-year lineup.
Adebayor tops in Togo again
consecutive year by local sports journalists it was announced on Monday.
The Arsenal striker returned to the national team during October after a row with officials over travelling conditions and scored four goals against Swaziland to keep Togo in contention for a place at the 2010 World Cup.
Adebayor is a finalist for the 2008 African Footballer of the Year award with Chelsea's Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and the latter's club mate Michael Essien of Ghana and Egyptians Mohamed Aboutraika and Amr Zaki, who has scored 10 goals for his on loan Premier League club Wigan this season.
Bollywood's 'Ms. Populars'
Actress Kareena Kapoor got a majority number of votes (40 %) in the Bollywood's 'Ms. Popular' poll.
Actor Kareena Kapoor's turning point seemed to be Imtiaz Ali's film 'Jab We Met' in which she was paired opposite Shahid Kapoor. Kareena has been in the limelight for her romance with Saif Ali Khan, her fit and fab avatar and her endorsements. Bagging the plum projects, Kareena Kapoor's next big film will be 'Kambakkht Ishq', also starring Akshay Kumar and Hollywood hotties like Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards.
Is Katrina Kaif a possessive girlfriend?
The shooting of 'Veer' at Film City begins by 2 pm and ends promptly at 6 pm, Katrina regularly visits the sets and hangs around till the day's shoot wraps up. A source from the sets of 'Veer' said, "Zarine Khan is making every effort to get friendly with Salman. However, Salman Khan is in a different mood ever since the shooting at Film City began. Incidentally, he turned aloof just when Katrina Kaif started visiting him on the sets. Considering that Katrina seldom visits Salman's sets, this new development has caught the unit of the film off guard."
Commenting on how Salman Khan ignores his Katrina look-alike actress Zarine, we were told, "Often Zarine pulls up a chair to sit near Salman Khan but he does not pay attention. When Zarine tries to talk to Salman, he only replies in monosyllables. This only discourages her further. And if Katrina Kaif is around, Salman Khan only pays attention to Katrina by spending all his free time with her."
Katrina did not deny that she had been on the sets of 'Veer' and said, "Yes, I did go to the sets of 'Veer' but only one day. That's because Anil Sharma, the director of 'Veer' is my friend." Vijay Galani, producer of 'Veer' said, "Katrina came to Film City on Tuesday, though she has come to the sets of 'Veer' a few times earlier too. But Katrina and Zarine get along very well."
So we don't know which version to believe. Our guess is as good as yours!
Aamir-Shah Rukh friends now?
we’re a little confused about their Camaraderie Shah Rukh Khan. (TOI Photo)More Pics
Quotient.
Every controversial comment made by one is quickly followed by a ‘respectful remark’. So when actress Koel Purie got talking with Aamir on a TV show recently she asked him if the two were friends or foes.
And Aamir said, “Neither! I’m certainly not competitive as far as Shah Rukh is concerned. I’m certainly very ambitious, but only towards myself. However, Shah Rukh and I share a warm relationship.” Guess the ‘warm’ has become pretty ‘heated’ these days, eh?