Israel's Defense Forces use social media to battle Hamas
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com
1 of 6 | Palestinian firefighters extinguish fire from the car of Ahmed al-Jaabari, head of the military wing of the Hamas movement, the Ezzedin Qassam Brigades, after it was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on November 14, 2012. UPI/Ashraf Mohammad | License Photo
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have taken to social media -- Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and a blog -- to make announcements regarding Wednesday's military strikes that led to the killing of top Hamas commander Ahmed al-Jabari.
UPDATE: Their first post just 16 hours old, the IDF has created an official Tumblr, uploading graphics that highlight attacks on Israeli citizens by militant Palestinians. A Pinterest account also features photos of IDF soldiers.
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From Wednesday: The IDF's official Twitter account, @IDFSpokesperson, has been updating followers with details about the strikes under the hashtag, #PillarOfDefense, using the networking service to publicize and defend their reaction to rocket attacks by Palestinian militants. Their initial post about the strike accompanied a YouTube video showing a birds-eye view of the strike on al-Jabari's car and a satellite photo of the targets.
The IDF has begun a widespread campaign on terror sites & operatives in the #Gaza Strip, chief among them #Hamas & Islamic Jihad targets.
The IDF followed their announcement with a blunt warning to other leaders of Gaza's governing political party, along with the threat of a ground operation:
We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead.
They also defended the decision to strike as retaliation for "a month of frequent rocket attacks" on Israel, as well as their choice of target, Ahmed al-Jabari, the commander of Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades:
As spokesman for a militant Palestinian group in Gaza said that "the occupation started the battle," and that they would "respond very fiercely to their crimes." Al-Jaabari's al-Qassam Brigades tweeted this message to the IDF:
@idfspokesperson Our blessed hands will reach your leaders and soldiers wherever they are (You Opened Hell Gates on Yourselves)