SDEROT, Israel (The Dissociated Press) - Israeli tanks and infantry swept across the border into Gaza Saturday night, ending weeks of speculation as to whether Israel would launch a ground invasion into the coastal Palestinian territory or simply pry it loose from the rest of the continent with a giant crowbar.
Coming on the heels of an intense, week-long bombing campaign that had already killed at least 430 Palestinians and wounded nearly 2,000 others, the land attack was designed "to completely and brutally obliterate the terrorist infrastructure of the [ruling Hamas] party," according to a statement made on Israeli TV by Vice Premier Haim Ramon. "However, we are taking great pains not to disturb their furniture and toiletry items," Ramon said.
Gaza, while home to approximately 1.5 million people, is but a thin sliver of land, roughly 25 miles long, with an average width of only about 5.5 miles. And, when the first wave of Israeli ground troops pushed into Gaza on Saturday, they did so with so much momentum that they accidentally overshot the territory and invaded Tunisia.
Most parties agree that with the advent of ground conflict in Gaza, civilian casualties, already high, are likely to rise. And protests, both official and civilian, that have been voiced against Israel's action over the past week are likely to intensify.
Sunday there were very large demonstrations in Morocco, Australia, and many European countries, with the vast majority of protesters calling for a halt to the actions of the Israeli army.
In Egypt on Sunday, President Hosni Mubarak condemned the Israeli ground offensive in a statement to the press. However, when Mr. Mubarak was questioned by a reporter why Egypt does not open its (8 mile long) border with Gaza to alleviate the suffering of the people there, ostensibly caused by Israel's control, and months-long blockade of all other land, sea, and air access to the territory, he politely excused himself, saying he was late for his Pilates class. The reporter was then taken into an adjoining room and given a colonoscopy with a ham radio antenna.
Meanwhile, the United States blocked an overnight resolution in the U.N. Security Council calling for an immediate cease-fire. President Bush said Sunday that Hamas was "solely to blame" for Israel's massive bombing of and incursion into Gaza. He then noted that Hezbollah, Iran, Al Qaeda, Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers, Hitler, abortion, trial lawyers, and steroids were "equally at fault too."
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