UN-Truth

The Prime Minister of Israel says goals of Operation Cast Lead have been reached if not surpassed, so the Israel will observe a unilateral cease-fire in Gaza. Hamas is not part of the agreement, however, Olmert says. And, if they fire, the IDF will know what to do.

The IDF will stay inside Gaza.
Hamas has said that if the Israeli troops stay, Hamas will not view the operation as having ended.

The Defense Minister Ehud Barak says that Israel is responding to Egyptian President Mubarak’s call for a cease-fire.

So, the situation seems to be just what it was before the start of Operation Cast Lead — except that the IDF is back inside Gaza, and many people have died or been wounded, and much of Gaza’s infrastructure is badly damaged or destroyed.

The only thing Israel got out of it, really, is the U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding to stop smuggling from Iran into Gaza.

Within an hour, the IDF announced that “On Sunday, 18 January (14:00), a forward emergency treatment center will be opened at the Erez crossing into Gaza in the presence of Minister of Welfare and Social Services Isaac Herzog and Minister of Health Yacov Ben Yizri. The center’s goal is to treat uninvolved civilians from Gaza. The Israel Ministry of Health, through Magen David Adom, will operate the emergency treatment center. This initiative is part of the Israeli government’s humanitarian efforts to assist the civilian population of Gaza, coordinated by Minister Herzog. According to understandings reached between the ministers of welfare and health and the Red Cross, the injured civilians will be brought from Gaza to hospitals in Israel, according to their medical condition. Israeli hospitals have been preparing to accept these new patients. The treatment center will be fully equipped and staffed by medical personnel, including specialists in the following areas: trauma, orthopedics, pediatric medicine, family medicine, gynecology, etc”

UPDATE: This event is open to the MEDIA, and to “guests”, and we will be there. Andy David of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the ICRC is also involved, at least on the Palestinian side, and will be bringing the Gazan patients to the Erez crossing — for what I guess will be “triage” at the Israeli emergency medical treatement there, before possible transfer to hospitals in Israel.

As’ad AbuKhakil has posted this very interesting scoop on his Angry Arab blogspot, here, with an appeal for further information:
“Ahdaf Souif sent me this from (Egyptian) Rafah (I cite with her permission): ‘Outside the general Hospital in Egyptian Rafah a city of tents has sprung up. I counted 200. But the soldiers there told me they have many more and can set them up immediately. They said the beds and furnishings for all the camps are ready. I was also told that other camps are being set up, in el-Arish and other locations. I was told these camps were being set up for “the Palestinian refugees.” Where will they come from? From Gaza. When? When they open the border. Officers then arrived and insisted that we leave immediately. Any information we wanted we could get from the headquarters of the Second Army in Ismailia. A soldier added that some TV stations had been here already – but they were with the Army’.”

Filed under: Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians