IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis
IAF continues its assault on Gaza terrorist targetsÂ
What? Munitions and rockets stockpiled in a place of worship? But, but…  isn’t that what all the churches and  synagogues are doing? I’m sure we are wrongly blaming innocent Muslims just for trying to defend themselves from constant islamophobic attacks. Right?
IAF hits Gaza mosque storing rockets
Dec. 30, 2008
jpost.com staff, yaakov katz and AP , THE JERUSALEM POSTThe IAF continued its assault on Gaza terrorist targets on Wednesday afternoon, bombing a Gaza City mosque and destroying a large number of rockets hidden inside.
Channel 10 reported that the IAF had received high-level orders to hit the mosque after Hamas terror operatives had run there with several rockets and Grad-type missiles.
The army said that the mosque, located in the western part of Gaza City, was used to store weapons and explosives and that terrorists had been using the building as cover when firing rockets at southern Israel.
The most recent rocket launch from the mosque occurred on Wednesday morning, the military said in a statement.
The strike set off numerous secondary explosions, caused by the munitions stockpiled in the mosque. In recent days joint IDF and ISA intelligence efforts produced information that terrorists were hoarding weapons in the mosque and carrying out rocket attacks against Israeli communities from its grounds, as well as using it as a place of hiding, the IDF said.
Meanwhile, a senior IDF officer said that IAF fighter jets had carried out some 500 sorties against Hamas targets in Gaza in Operation Cast Lead and helicopters had flown hundreds more combat missions.
The officer claimed 95 percent of the intended targets were hit. He said all efforts were made to avoid civilian casualties, including calling residents on their phones to warn them their buildings were about to be hit.
The officer spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.
Gaza officials put the death toll at more than 390 dead and 1,600 wounded since the operation began on Saturday. Hamas said some 200 uniformed members of Hamas security forces had been killed, and the UN reported that at least 60 Palestinian civilians had died.
Meanwhile, Israel said it would allow 2,000 tons of food and medical supplies to enter Gaza on Wednesday, in addition to 4,000 tons the military says have been allowed in since the offensive began. Several dozen chronically ill and wounded Gazans were also authorized to enter Israel for treatment Wednesday, the military said.
On Wednesday morning, the IAF struck targets in the northern Gaza Strip. Most of the attacks were reportedly directed against rocket launchers that were being used in the intense bombardment of southern Israel, while one strike was said to target a senior member of the Islamic Jihad.
The Islamic Jihad commander was reportedly killed in the airstrike, in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis.
Also Wednesday, the air force attacked Hamas installations and government buildings in the Gaza Strip, including the office of the organization’s prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh.
It was the second time that Haniyeh’s office had been targeted and the army said that the building was being used “as a center for the planning, support and financing of terrorist activities against Israel.”
The office of the Hamas Interior Ministry, located in the same area of Gaza City, was also attacked.
The army said that the IAF had attacked 35 additional targets overnight, including tunnels in the Rafah border area, weapons storage facilities, Hamas outposts and an armed rocket launcher.
Navy forces also attacked a number of targets in the Gaza Strip, including Hamas outposts, training camps, guarding vessels used by Hamas naval forces and launching posts used to fire rockets at Israel.
“The IDF will continue its mission, attack the infrastructure and buildings that Hamas is using,” the army said “and will operate against terrorist organizations and anyone who provides support to terrorism.”
Earlier Tuesday night, the air force bombed the launcher of the Grad-model rockets that were fired at Beersheba, as well as the cell responsible for the attacks. The army said it successfully hit its target.
Palestinians said that a medic was killed and two others were wounded when a missile landed next to their ambulance during a clash east of Gaza City. The IDF said it was not aware of the incident.
AP contributed to this report
Palestinian sources said that some 390 people had been killed since the beginning of Operation Cast Lead on Saturday.
Mosque used as rocket storage site targeted
IMRA:
 IAF aircraft targeted a mosque in the Tel El Hawwa neighborhood in Gaza
City on Wednesday afternoon that was used by Hamas as a storage site for
Grad missiles and Qassam rockets, as well as a staging ground for rocket and
missile launches. The most recent rocket launch from the mosque occurred
this morning.The strike set off numerous secondary explosions, caused by the munitions
stockpiled in the mosque. In recent days joint IDF and ISA intelligence
efforts produced information that terrorists were hoarding weapons in the
mosque and carrying out rocket attacks against Israeli communities from its
grounds, as well as using it as a place of hiding.
IDF spokesman:
The IDF will continue to attack any target used for terrorist activity, and
will not hesitate to strike those involved in terrorism against the citizens
of the State of Israel even, if they cynically choose to operate from
locations of religious or cultural significance.  Â
Mosques behaving badly as usual – and this one got what was coming to it. This story makes me wonder: what would the authorities in Australia, Canada, the UK, the USA, India, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Thailand, the Philippines, France, Germany, the Netherlands, etc, basically anywhere and everywhere in the non-Muslim world that there are Muslims and Mosques, find, were they to authorise a lightning strike of simultaneous surprise raids on all mosques within their borders? Raids accompanied by special forces and sniffer dogs, to search said mosques from attic to basement, not forgetting to check for false ceilings, false floors, etc? Raids of that kind in the UK and in Italy have found all manner of interesting and highly illegal things before – such as falsified documents, fake passports, weapons caches…Don’t forget to search the residences of the associated imams or sheikhs, likewise.
If the Muslims set up a howl, then I’m sure the churches, synagogues and Buddhist temples in the same non-Muslim countries would be perfectly happy to submit to a similar thorough search in the interests of evenhandedness…the comparison of the results of the two sets of searches would be, I’m sure, highly illuminating.
Following Dumbledoresarmy,
Ditto for Italy and Germany. Arms and munitions have been regularly found whenever surprise searches of Mosques are undertaken. However these are generally not reported in the media. The logic for this media blackout is unclear.
All Mosques should now be considered legitimate targets. As we have always known Mosques have been a warehouse for ammo and a nest for terrorists. Even Devil worshipers have more respect for their shrines.
The rabid anti-Islamists busily invoking their best Christian tropes with their fooball helmets screwed on too tight while playing tinpot generals from their armchairs need to learn about fuses, detonation trains, and delayed detonation. If all it takes for you morons to think that there are stored munitions where you see secondaries or tertiaries, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Ever heard of a bunker buster? There are a whole range of conventional missiles and drop-bombs that rely of multi-stage detonation. The only proof the Israelis would have is if the forensics were done, and the explosive materials identified. Till then, it could be munitions in the basement, or it could be disinfo from the Israelis.