There was moonlight overhead in the early hours of Saturday morning Gaza Strip. The 2.3 million residents of an area 10% smaller than the city center of Sao Paulo They were woken up by a loud noise.
And then the night sky poured fire over the streets, the heads, the few cars, many people. The 2,200 (perhaps 5,400) free rockets (without electronic guidance) and missiles (with electronic targeting) crossed the few kilometers of border that isolates the enclave. Around 700 tons of explosives were dropped.
The unprecedented attack showed that terrorists from Hamas They are better organized and much more armed than previously known. The amphibious troops, synonymous with marines, who entered Israel by sea in small fishing boats were previously unknown. Likewise, training in the Golan Heights for air strikes with paragliders was without news.
Explosion caused by an attack in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Hamas attack Photo: AP Photo/Hatem Moussa
Now the Strategic Studies Center at Georgetown University in Washington estimates that Hamas has 40,000 militants. The number is much higher than previously thought (somewhere between 8,000 and 12,000 people, including sympathizers and trained fighters).
However, with 600,000 soldiers and reservists who can be called up within 24 hours, it is a much smaller force than the mighty Israeli army.
This speed of mobilization is further evidence of the efficiency that has always characterized the Israel Defense Forces. The country can deploy troops within 12 hours, while the American army, the world’s largest, has a goal of up to two days.
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Despite all this superiority, the Israelis were surprised by a largescale attack that required a lot of movement and left traces such as the supply of hundreds of missiles and rockets.
These projectiles have ranges of 9, 15, 40 and up to 220 km. And they would be supplied from various sources. A North KoreaFor example, he sent a delegation to the small military complex in the Gaza Strip.
Saddam Husseinera stocks have also been diverted recently Iraq (1994 to 2003) and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya (1969 to 2011) returned to the market. Although it is not proven that they ended up in Hamas’s hands, some of the rockets used now appear to be compatible.
Iran, in turn, has 120 weapons industries and according to Hamas sources themselves, the Wall Street Journal said: would have helped with the investment planned since August and approved last week without being noticed by Israel.
Surprised, the country now counterattacks. His armored force has been deployed on the outskirts of Gaza and the world is watching the government’s response. Benjamin Netanyahuwhich, in addition to firepower, has more sophisticated and efficient weapons.
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In a blow to Hamas, socalled smart bombs destroyed the building where the group’s secret service operated. Almost a ton of explosives and the building collapsed.
An escalation at this point seems inevitable and is worrying. Because, although this has always been denied, Israel is a nuclear power that has around 200 weapons, including artillery shells and rockets (tactical and strategic). It’s the Jericho program. Despite the mystery surrounding the socalled civilian facilities, a story from the Yom Kippur War exactly 50 years ago illustrates the risks of the conflict.
When Israel was the target of an invasion by Egyptian and Syrian troops in 1973, General Ariel Sharon is said to have threatened to use a nuclear bomb in Cairo. The plane with the warhead would have started its journey and retreated with Egyptian troops held back. Although the reports are not proven, they suggest that Israel has a nuclear arsenal and could use it.