Israel Readies Gazan Operation

It wasn’t a very merry Christmas in the Holy Land. Two Palestinian girls were killed today when a Palestinian rocket fell short of its Israeli target. Since last night, 25 mortar shells have been fired into Israel. Meanwhile, Egypt beefed up its security along the Gazan border in anticipation of an IDF operation in the Gaza Strip. Should the Israeli operation proceed, Haaretz says it can expect to face about 15,000 armed Palestinians in Gaza. “For two years Hamas, with Iranian assistance,” Haaretz writes, “has been working hard on developing its military power, using Hezbollah as a model.” Gazan Palestinians are expected to escalate their mortar and rocket attacks, but Israeli and Western military experts believe that Israel can retake the territory.