Defense Minister Ehud Barak has asked Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to advise the government on the legality of removing Gaza civilians from their homes in order to allow the IDF to act more effectively against terrorists without harming civilians. The Defense Minister also discussed with Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann and military advocate Brigadier General Avichai Mandelblit the legality of cutting off all fuel supplies to Gaza and firing artillery shells where rockets have been launched.
"We must find ways to respond to the firing against Israel," Defense Minister Barak said. "I understand the legal limitations, but we need to find the ways to make it possible to act." Deputy Attorney General Shai Nitzan maintained that IDF actions will be judged on the basis of whether they are "proportionate," meaning that the army cannot fire artillery indiscriminately at every source of rocket fire. "It is possible to fire at the sources of fire, but specific areas need to be defined and efforts must be made to distinguish between fighters and civilians," he explained.