Gaza Update (1)

Sorry for not updating sooner, but a thunderstorm shut down my computer as I was writing a post. So, now that the storm is over, here's the latest.

At least a thousand Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers have flooded into Neve Dekalim and taken up positions as of now (with more on the way). Apparently they don't intend to use violence until morning (5:00 AM in Israel = 10:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time = 7:00 Pacific Daylight Time). I believe that Neve Dekalim is the largest settlement in Gaza. Haaretz news says that about 830 out of 1,700 families had left the settlement, and the blog Israel Reporter says that there are about 7,000 settlers and activists hunkered down. I heard on the radio (I believe it was CBS radio news) that the IDF wants to use Neve Dekalim as an example, intimidating smaller settlements by emptying the biggest one first.

If you want more on this story, here are a few links to my news sources

Pro-settler blogs: Israpundit, Israel Reporter (be sure to visit this one!)
Israeli mainstream media (in English): Haaretz, Jerusalem Post

Tags: Gaza , Israel, Disengagement