General Yom Tov Samia, former head of Southern Command, responded to the events on the Gazan border.
"Mortar shells are not of course a threat to the state of Israel but they do involve an attempt to harm residents of the south," Samia said. "The Israeli government must take a tough stance and send a clear message via the IDF: Any attempted escalation will be met with an iron fist and with a paralyzing of life in the Gaza strip.
"Israel must open a broad-based offensive at the right time and stop deliberating every time how to respond and with how much power."