Israel has launced its long-awaited ground invasion into Gaza. Details are sketchy so far. The Sabbath should be over by now in Israel so we can expect to hear from them soon -- assuming that they know more than we do. See and support Israellycool and The Muqata.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for Gazans in general. Jews often read Psalm 20 aloud in times of distress.

(Update 3 (Jan 3, 2009 4:51 PM CST)

• Ehud Barak on war -- "I have said all along that our military activities will widen and deepen as much as needed. Our aim is to force Hamas to stop its hostile activities against Israel and Israelis from Gaza, and to bring about a significant change in the situation in Southern part of Israel. We have carefully weighed all our options. We are not war hungry but we shall not, I repeat - we shall not allow a situation where our towns, villages and civilians are constantly targeted by Hamas. It will not be easy or short, but we are determined."
• StarTribune (There's no reason to distrust Israel here) -- "There is no question -- none -- that Israel's attack on Hamas in Gaza is justified. No nation can tolerate a portion of its people living in the conditions of the London Blitz -- listening for sirens, sleeping in bomb shelters and separated from death only by the randomness of a Qassam missile's flight. And no group aspiring to nationhood, such as Hamas, can be exempt from the rules of sovereignty, morality and civilization, which, at the very least, forbid routine murder attempts against neighbors. Israel's response has been criticized as "disproportionate," which betrays a misunderstanding of proportion's meaning. The goal is to remove the conditions that lead to conflict and the taking of life. Israel's actions have been proportionate to this objective."
• AP (Security Council schedules emergency meeting) -- You can guess the outcome. What is interesting is how will the US vote after Obama takes. Surely Israel took the US election into account for its timing of this war. 

Update 2 (Jan 3, 2009 3:18 PM CST)

• Israellycool -- "The IDF has struck an Islamic Jihad compound."
• The Muqata -- "Immediate warnings of possible launches in the coming minutes to Ashdod and Ashkelon."
• The Muqata -- "Gaza's primary fuel depot has been hit and is currently ablaze." Confirmed by CNN and others.
• YNETNews (Hamas: Gaza will be paved with fire in hell) -- The group said that the IDF was "getting closer to the trap we laid for it," adding that "our people will fight to the last drop of blood and won't surrender. We prepared hundreds of suicide bombers meant to kill and capture dozens of soldiers taking part in the ground operations."
• YNET News (EU presidency supports ground invasion) -- "The EU presidency expressed support for the IDF ground operation in Gaza and said that the EU views the incursion as 'defensive, not offensive'."
• AFP (Bush gave okay for ground invasion this morning) -- "White House deputy press secretary Gordon Johndroe earlier said the United States has urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties in their military operations, whether they involve continued air assaults or a ground incursion. 'Those will be decisions made by the Israelis,' he said when asked if Israel would be justified in launching a ground assault."
• IDF (Objective is to destroy terrorist infrastructure) -- "The objective of this stage of the operation is to destroy the terrorist infrastructure of the Hamas in the precise area of operation, while taking control of some of rocket launching area used by the Hamas in order to greatly reduce the quantity of rockets fired at Israel and Israeli civilians. The IDF Spokesperson emphasizes that this stage of the operation will further the goals of Operation Cast Lead as communicated till now: To strike a direct and hard blow against Hamas while increasing the deterrent strength of the IDF, in order to bring about an improved and more stable security situation for residents of southern Israel in the long term." 

Update 1 (Jan 3, 2009, 1:25 PM CST) Tens of thousand of Israeli reservists called up

• Haaretz -- "Israel's government has approved the call-up of tens of thousands of reservist soldiers, it was annnounced Saturday, almost simultaneously with the launch of a Gaza ground incursion aimed at halting rocket fire on Israel's southern communities."
• Jerusalem Post -- "For the first time since the start of Operation Cast Lead, IDF ground troops entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, exchanging fire with Hamas gunmen. The IDF said that a large amount of Armored Corps, Engineering Corps and Infantry troops entered the territory with the purpose of destroying Hamas infrastructure and preventing rocket fire by taking control of launching pads in northern Gaza. The IDF warned that terrorists using civilians as human shields would bear full responsibility for their fate."

Original announcement (Jan 3, 2009 1:05 PM CST):

• AP via MSNBC -- "Israeli ground forces crossed the Gaza border in an expansion of Israel's week-old offensive against Hamas, Israel's military confirmed Saturday. ... Artillery units had joined Israel's Gaza offensive for the first time Saturday, while warplanes and gunboats pounded more than 40 Hamas targets and a mosque where 10 people were killed."
• UK Telegraph -- "The penetration, which began under cover of darkness near Beit Lahiya near Gaza's northern border, represents a significant escalation of the week-long conflict between Israel and Hamas. It followed a day of heightened air strikes, designed to decapitate the Hamas military leadership, and an artillery bombardment intended to soften up resistence on the ground."
• Washington Post -- "Israel's military says ground forces are crossing the Gaza border in an escalation of Israel's week-old offensive against the territory's militant Hamas rulers. Israeli TV channels are broadcasting images of troops marching into Gaza after nightfall. The military confirmed a ground operation was under way. Defense officials say around 10,000 soldiers have massed along the border in recent days."