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Israel Enters Gaza in Rescue Attempt

Israeli troops made an incursion into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as a 48-hour deadline for the return of a kidnapped soldier by Islamic terrorists passed without a meeting of the deadline. Israeli officials informed Washington of the plan to enter certain areas of the Strip, which was evacuated last fall after 37 years of Israel controlling Gaza in the wake of the 1967 Six-Day War, and it was reported that the U.S.A. did not raise any objections to the Israeli action. Before troops entered, Israeli warplanes bombed a power station in the Gaza Strip that cut off power to much of the area.

Earlier this week, Palestinian terrorists used a tunnel to sneak into Israel and attacked an APC, or armored personnel carrier, near the Gaza border. Two Israeli soldiers were killed, and Corporal Gilad Shalit, who holds dual French-Israeli citizenship, was injured and taken hostage by the Palestinians. Conditions for the soldier?s release were that Israel must release women and children who are security prisoners in Israel (meaning they played some role in the planning or carrying out of attacks against Israelis). Israel rejected this demand out of hand, demanded Cpl. Shalit?s return, and massed troops on the border with the Gaza Strip.

The international community had been hoping for a peaceful end to the crisis, the Vatican pledged its help to get the soldier returned home, and the French government had pledged its aid in getting Cpl. Shalit released. The United States expressed hope that all sides would be wary of overly escalating the situation, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated that the incursion was not meant to be a reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, but that Israel would not leave until their kidnapped soldier was recovered. Israel has held the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, and the Fatah President of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas, directly responsible for the kidnapping.