Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the rest of the security cabinet are meeting to decide what to do about Gaza.
Increasingly deadly rocket and mortar attacks have prompted the beleaguered civilians living in the Gaza Belt to demand that the government make a decision on whether to accept a proposal for a tahadiyeh, or 'calm' with Gaza terrorists.
The ceasefire proposal worked out by Egyptian mediators calls for a simultaneous halt to rocket and mortar attacks on Israel by Gaza terrorists, while the IDF withdraws completely from Gaza and ceases all counterterrorism operations in the region. The sticking point for Hamas involves the border crossings; the terrorists are demanding that Israel also re-open the crossings.
Israeli officials have considered a two-step proposal, however, that would involve opening the crossings in the second stage of the agreement once the first step -- a complete cessation of all violence -- is successful. In exchange, Israel demands the return of kidnapped IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who has been held in captivity by Hamas for the past two years.
On Tuesday, terrorists continued their attacks with a barrage of some 18 mortar shells aimed at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, as well as a number of other Kassam rocket and mortar attacks on other communities. Some minor damage was reported but miraculously no one was injured. Last week, however, 51-year-old Amnon Rozenberg of Kibbutz Nirim became the second victim in less than a month to lose his life to Gaza mortar fire.
Hundreds of residents of Gaza Belt communities are set to demonstrate across from the Prime Minister's Office while the cabinet meets to discuss the possible Israeli responses to the constant attacks. One option is a major military incursion into the region to "clean out" the terrorist strongholds from which the constant rocket and mortar fire has been directed at Israeli civilians.