- Hamas and other terror groupslaunched some 460 rockets
at Israel over a 24-hour period.
Israel responded with some 150 air strikes
on military targets in Gaza.
Addressing the UN, Israel's representative
Danny Danon played the redalert sign that Israelis hear.
- We will continue totake any measure necessary
to protect our people.
Regarding the future, ourapproach is very clear.
If it will not be quiet in Israel,
it will not be quiet in Gaza.
And I think the Hamas leaders know exactly
what are the capabilitiesof the Israeli IDF
and they know we can get to them,
even if they hide beneathtunnels and beneath hospitals.
(crowd chanting)
- Israelis and Gazans
had different reactions to this ceasefire.
Gazans mounted a hugevictory rally in the streets,
but Israelis in that areawas attacked were furious,
saying they're being treatedlike second-class citizens.
And you can see, joining us now,
is CBN Middle East BureauChief Chris Mitchell
with more on this story.
So, Chris, how could the resignation
of Israel's Defense Ministerlead to early elections,
and could those elections
throw Benjamin Netanyahu out of office?
- Well, Efram, thatcertainly is a potential
and it's really been quitea roller coaster here
in the last 24, 48 hours.
We went from the brink of war,
now to the possible collapse
of the Benjamin Netanyahu government.
It's really a question of math, Efram.
Right now, Netanyahu'sgovernment has 66 seats,
Lieberman coming out of thegovernment takes his five seats,
that goes down to 61 seatsout of the 120-seat Conneset,
so they really has theslimmest of margins.
Netanyahu has been threatening, actually,
that he could go to new elections.
He can call elections if he will,
and right now, previousto the conflict with Hamas
in the last few days, pollslooked very good for him,
but I don't know what's gonna happen
after this latest ceasefire.
Lieberman's contentionis really a microcosm
of, really, the debatewithin Israel right now
whether or not it was asurrender to terrorism
by having this ceasefire.
- [Efram] So why do youthink there was a ceasefire,
Chris, instead of war?
- Well, I think the calculations,
it was a political, it wasa military calculations.
I think the heads of theIDF, the Shin Bet, the Mossad
were saying don't go to warright now, it's too messy.
I think the main questionabout Gaza, Efram, is
what happens if you go inmilitarily, if you defeat Hamas,
who's gonna rule Hamas after that?
Certainly, Israel doesn't want to do that,
Egypt doesn't want to do that,
the Palestinian Authoritydoesn't want to do that.
So, really, that's themain question with Gaza,
so sometimes the calculation is,
let's live with a ceasefire temporarily,
and just manage the situation
and try to actually takeover Gaza militarily.
- [Efram] We know you'vebeen following this attack
throughout the last few days.
Can you tell us whatit was like to be there
in that apartment that took a direct hit?
- Yeah, we were there.
We had a story on thatyesterday, and we were there
in the very kitchenthat took a direct hit,
and it really does make it personal.
When you see kitchencupboards filled with cookies,
when you see a kitchentable that was destroyed
knowing that 24 hours before that,
somebody was sitting there and actually,
tragically, they lost their lives.
Two women were seriously injured.
When we were there, the neighbor next door
was collecting herbelongings and we found out
all the toys of her childrenwere destroyed in that attack.
If you look through the whole building,
almost the whole buildingis uninhabitable right now
because the concussion really destroyed
many of the things in that building,
so, really, took it to a personal level.
When you hear somebody died,
but when you see, actually, that site,
we actually saw bloodon the floor as well,
it makes it much more personal.
- Indeed.
Tell us what it's like for Israelis
living close to the border.
Why do they call themselvessecond-class citizens?
- Well, I'll give you an example, Efram.
When we were down there,
we were down there for several hours,
and we realized at any time,there could be a rocket attack.
We drove without our seat belts,
because we knew that if we had to stop,
we had to get out quickly,lay beside the car.
Imagine doing that for 15 years.
That's what some of these people
in the south of Israelhave been living with,
and that's why they callthemselves second-class citizens,
because they don't believethat the government right now
is taking care of them
and giving them the securitythey feel they deserve.
And it goes back to that politicalcalculation of Netanyahu.
You know, does he go inmilitarily, take over Gaza?
Right now, his calculation is no,
but certainly that leaves these citizens
in Southern Israel, more than a million,
under the threat ofrocket attack at any time.
- Alright, Chris Mitchell,thank you so much
for that report from Jerusalem.
Stay safe, we appreciate youfollowing this story for us.
