The IDF launched a massive operation in Gaza on Saturday striking Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip killing at least 200 and wounding scores. By nightfall Saturday over 80 Kassam rockets, Grad missiles and mortar shells had been fired at Israeli communities.

On Saturday night, the IDF maintained a heavily beefed up presence outside the Gaza Strip, as troops prepared for a possible ground operation in Gaza to compliment the air offensive.

The military operation dubbed Operation Cast Lead was launched just days after the cabinet gave the army its approval to operate in Gaza in response to the scores of Kassam rockets fired at Israeli communities in southern Israel earlier in the week.

While Washington called on Jerusalem to show restraint it refrained from demanding a halt to military activities in Gaza. Britain and France however called on an immediate cessation to the hostilities. Members of the Arab League countries intend to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.

At a press conference on Saturday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak declared the current campaign would expand and is expected to last for some time. The IDF and IAF he said destroyed the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza hitting over 150 Hamas operatives.

According to reports the IAF hit over 100 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip including Hamas training bases and instillations.

A statement issued by the IDF Spokesman on Saturday night said all the targets hit were affiliated with Hamas and included command centers, training camps, rocket manufacturing facilities and storage warehouses. The army maintained that the majority of Palestinians killed in the air strikes wore uniforms and were active members of terror organizations.

As the operation got underway the  IDF was placed  on high alert, not only in areas around Gaza but troops were also placed on alert in the West Bank and along Israe'ls northern border prepared to counter any attempts by Palestinian  terror groups to launch attacks.  Residents in southern Israeli communities were told to remain in sheltered areas in the event  that Palestinian terror groups in Gaza fired rockets into  southern Israel to retaliate the military strikes. '

While Hamas spokesmen called on the Arab world and Palestinian factions to unite and join the fight and counter the Israeli air offensive, the organization’s top leadership failed to appear in public. At a press conference in Gaza a Hamas spokesman declared “we son’t raise the white flag, we won’t give anything up we won’t retreat.” The Islamic Jihad meanwhile declared the situation an all out war.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Israel is doing what it should be doing and Hamas should have known that Israel would not stay silent in response to the rocket attacks on its communities.    12/27/08