VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJM #2804/01 1841043
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 031043Z JUL 06
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3208
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 002804 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/LOGERFO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2016 
TAGS: PREL ASEC CASC KPAL KWBG PHUM
SUBJECT: MGGZ01 - ISRAELI GAZA INCURSION - JERUSALEM JULY 3 
SITREP 
 
 
Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.    (C) A statement on July 3 by groups claiming 
responsibility for the kidnapping of IDF corporal Gilad 
Shalit threatened that the abduction would be a "closed case" 
if Palestinian prisoners are not released by 0600 on July 4; 
they did not elaborate on their statement.  IDF forces 
entered northern Gaza on July 3 in small numbers; their 
mission is reportedly to find tunnels and target those firing 
Qassam rockets.  The IDF continues to widen its footprint in 
southern Gaza, according to remarks made to the press by the 
Golani brigade commander.  In the West Bank, the IDF 
continues its raids of Hamas-affiliated organizations.  Some 
Gaza crossings with Israel were open on July 2 to permit the 
passage of food, medicine, and fuel.  Over 90 American 
citizens in Gaza have asked for US assistance in leaving the 
area, and Post continues to work with Embassy Tel Aviv and 
the GOI on the issue. 
 
------------------------------- 
Political and Kidnapping Update 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2.    (C) Press reports on the morning of July 3 say that the 
groups claiming responsibility for the kidnapping of IDF 
corporal Gilad Shalit have given the GOI until 0600 on July 4 
to release Palestinian prisoners, or they will consider the 
abduction a "closed case," without elaborating on the 
implications of that statement.  The issue of prisoners 
continues to resonate with the Palestinian public; over the 
weekend, President Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen) told the press: 
"My main concern is the issue of prisoners, because there are 
more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. 
Some of these have been imprisoned by Israel for more than 15 
years and what concerns us now is to get them out of that 
darkness and into the light of freedom." 
 
¶3.    (C) Both Palestinian and Israeli press carried photos 
of Abu Mazen and Prime Minister Isma'il Haniyyah visiting the 
office of the prime minister recently bombed by the IAF.  Abu 
Mazen called the strike a "criminal act" and Palestinian 
interlocutors have focused on the office as representing 
Palestinians, not simply Hamas. 
 
¶4.    (U) Prime Minister Haniyyah announced the temporary 
reassignment of Hamas ministers to run the ministries of 
those currently held by the GOI; details septel. 
 
¶5.    (SBU) Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri denounced 
statements made by President Bush calling for the release of 
Shalit as a way of ending the crisis, calling this statement 
"incitement."  Abu Zuhri released a statement making 
accusations that "This U.S. administration supports Israeli 
terrorism and war crimes against the Palestinian people.  It 
is constantly engaged in efforts to blockade and besiege the 
Palestinian people and incites others to collectively punish 
and isolate the Palestinian people. These actions of George 
Bush make him an evil leader and the primary sponsor of 
terrorism in the world today." 
 
--------------- 
Military Update 
--------------- 
 
¶6.    (C)   Palestinian and Israeli press report an IDF 
incursion in small numbers into northern Gaza, in and around 
the town of Beit Hanoun.  Press reports indicate the mission 
of the IDF is to find tunnels, prevent laying of explosives 
against the border fence, and conduct operations against 
Qassam missile launchers.  The IDF has reportedly not entered 
into populated areas, although they have apparently taken 
over several buildings to use as observation points.  IAF 
aircraft also struck three sites in Gaza during the evening 
of July 2, including a strike against a Fatah-affiliated 
charitable association in Gaza City that resulted in one 
person lightly wounded. 
 
¶7.    (C) The "Jerusalem Post" quotes the IDF Golani Brigade 
Commander, operating in southern Gaza, as saying that IDF 
troops in southern Gaza are taking control of additional 
territory daily and predicting that the Brigade's operations 
would expand to other parts of Gaza.  There was an exchange 
of gunfire on July 2 near the Rafah airport in which two 
Palestinian gunmen were reportedly killed by IDF gunfire; 
newspaper accounts say that the gunmen were wearing suicide 
 
belts. 
 
¶8.    (C) In the West Bank, the IDF continues to raid 
organizations associated with Hamas.  The Israeli press 
quotes Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida as threatening to target 
Israeli schools, institutions, and power plants if the IDF 
continues air strikes against infrastructure in Gaza. 
 
------------------- 
Humanitarian Update 
------------------- 
 
¶9.    (SBU) The local Palestinian press July 2 and 3 carried 
stories quoting the Israeli Defense Ministry that 
Karni/al-Mintar and Nahal Oz crossings would be open for four 
days this week and that 150 trucks would be able to transfer 
their cargo through the Karni/al-Mintar crossing each day. 
While the Karni/al-Mintar crossing has not yet opened for 
business July 3, it was open for five hours July 2 and 
approximately 100 trucks crossed, according to PalTrade 
Gaza-based employee Muhammed Skaik.  Per Skaik and 
USAID-based Gaza field staff, cargo included: 
 
-- 15 truckloads of fruits and vegetables; 
-- one truckload of 39 tons of wheat; 
-- 6 truckloads of basic food supplies, including wheat flour 
(88 tons), sugar (79 tons), and cooking oil (19 tons); 
-- 14 truckloads of dairy products and frozen foods; 
-- 15 truckloads of animal feed; 
-- 1 truckload of diesel fuel for UNRWA (35,000 tons); and 
-- 43 trucks of various products, including 15 trucks which 
had been stuck in Karni for ten days since the last closure. 
 
¶10.   (SBU) The Nahal Oz crossing was open July 2 for fuel 
deliveries and again July 3.  According to PalTrade, on July 
2 the following quantities had been imported: 
 
-- 942,000 liters of diesel; 
-- 114,000 liters of gasoline; and 
-- 198 tons of cooking gas. 
 
Senior PA officials commented that fuel supplies have been 
allowed into Gaza, but that the quantity is only sufficient 
for 48 hours. 
 
------------ 
AMCIT Update 
------------ 
 
¶11.   (C) The number of Amcits requesting assistance to leave 
the Gaza Strip has increased to over 90.  COGAT authorities 
at Erez have not yet given permission and indicate they would 
prefer the Amcits leave in small groups over a period of 
time.  Post continues to press for permits for the entire 
group to move ASAP.  The Consulate is also working with 
Embassy Amman to facilitate their expeditious departure to 
Jordan. 
 
WALLES