January 12th

Sources: Hamas leaders hiding in basement of Israel-built hospital in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - January 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Senior Hamas officials in Gaza are hiding out in a "bunker" built by Israel, intelligence officials suspect: Many are believed to be in the basements of the Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza City, which was refurbished during Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip. Shifa, the coastal strip's largest hospital, was built while Gaza was under Egyptian rule, before 1967. During the mid-1980s the building underwent massive refurbishment as part of a showcase project to improve the living conditions of residents.

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1 dead, dozens injured in Gaza by suspected white phosphorus munitions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Yasser Ahmad, Richard Boudreaux - January 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Palestinian villagers said the shelling came from the direction of the Israeli border, less than a mile away, scattering flaming objects in their midst and burning down 20 homes and the local United Nations-run school. "One landed in my kitchen and caused a fire," said Zohair Mohammed abu Rejila, 35. "I went to put it out, but another one landed on Mayar, my baby daughter. It was like a block of fire, a piece of plastic on fire. When I knocked it off her, it exploded and out came this heavy white smoke with a very bad smell."

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Israeli Bombing Continues, Palestinian Death Toll Tops 900
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America
by Luis Ramirez - January 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Israeli warplanes have been attacking the homes of Hamas leaders in Gaza, during the 17th day of Israel's assault. Palestinian medical officials say nearly 900 people have died in the attacks, which are showing no signs of letting up. The fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas raged on, as thousands of Israeli reservists entered the Gaza Strip. Israeli ground troops battled militants in house-to-house combat, edging closer to the center of Gaza City.

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Israeli Troops Push Into Gaza City
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Steven Erlanger - January 12, 2009 - 1:00am

On the 17th day of the war against Hamas, Israel said its ground forces called in a series of air strikes after troops pushed into a heavily populated area of Gaza City from the south on Sunday in fierce fighting that continued on Monday. Senior Israeli officials said Sunday for the first time in the war that they believed that the Hamas military wing was beginning to crack and that Hamas leaders inside Gaza were looking for a cease-fire. But news reports on Monday said Hamas militants fired as many as 10 missiles out of Gaza into southern Israel without causing casualties.

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January 11th

Israeli ground forces enter populated Palestinian areas in Gaza, as Israel’s leaders proclaim that the conflict is nearing an end (1), (2), (3), (4). Cease-fire talks focus on tunnels, border security (5), (6), (7), (8). Ha’aretz says that the UN Security Council cease-fire resolution was a “serious diplomatic malfunction” for Israel, while Asharq Alawsat calls it a victory for Arab moderates (9), (10). Reuters and Ha’aretz look at who is “winning” and “loosing” thus far (11), 12).

A big shudder on the wing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Around two weeks after the start of fighting in Gaza, there are only vague reports on Israel's success in damaging Hamas' terrorist infrastructure. On the other hand, statistics on the harm done to civilians accumulate. More than 800 Palestinians have been killed and around 3,000 have been wounded, an overwhelming majority of them from air strikes. According to UN figures, half of those killed are civilians, and half of the civilians killed are women and children.

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Victory elusive for both Israel and Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Luke Baker - (Analysis) January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

When the firing eventually stops in the Gaza Strip, the question of "who won?" will hang heavily over the death and destruction. Neither Israel nor Hamas will be able to answer it with any certainty or immediacy. Israel says it launched its offensive on Dec. 27 to put a stop once and for all to Hamas's firing of rockets and mortars over the border into southern Israeli towns and cities. That objective, at least, has been stated very clearly.

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Arab Moderates Succeed Despite Obstacles
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Moderate Arab diplomacy has succeeded in creating a UN resolution [UN Security Council Resolution 1860] in New York calling for a ceasefire and an end to Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip. Arab moderates succeeded [in pushing for a resolution] despite the regional and Arab obstacles of some seeing an opportunity to attack Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and other moderate Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates [UAE] and Jordan.

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UN Gaza truce resolution was serious diplomatic malfunction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - (Analysis) January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Resolution 1860 by the United Nations Security Council, which called for a cease-fire in Gaza, should be seen as an expression of the international community's discomfort about the continued fighting. It does not dictate halting the Israeli operation nor does it demand the immediate pullout of Israel Defense Forces troops from the Strip before security arrangements are made to guarantee long-term stability.

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Israel says Egypt should have Gaza border role
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
January 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Israel said on Sunday the job of stopping arms smuggling from Egypt to the Gaza Strip should be done by Egyptian forces and rejected the idea of an international force. European and Israeli diplomats have said an international force is part of a package mediators are trying to put together to end a more than two-week-old Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip that is designed to stop Palestinian rocket attacks.

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