"We do not care if there are 30 Kassams or six Kassams a day since our goal is to completely stop the rocket fire altogether," Defense Minister Amir Peretz said. Security officials said that he intends to order the IDF to launch a massive air strike against Arab terrorists in the Gaza.

According to sources, the IDF operation would most probably not include a ground incursion into Gaza, but would consist of continuous air strikes on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.

--Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that he is unable to stop Kassam rockets from being fired into Israel. Speaking at the 35th World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem, he stated, “You know very well that, notwithstanding all the pain, there is no comprehensive, complete and permanent solution once and for all, like a blink of an eye.”

The Prime Minister added, “I want to say at this opportunity, here and now, to the people of Sderot, to the kibbutzim and other towns, that there is no one who understands more the pain, anxiety, and uncertainty that you are experiencing."