Hamas leaders in Gaza announced Thursday evening that they were officially ending a temporary ceasefire with Israel that began in June. The decision was made following a meeting between heads of several Gaza-based terrorist organizations.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, Gaza terrorists were to stop firing rockets and mortar shells at Israeli communities. In return, the IDF committed to avoid counterterrorist operations in Gaza.
"The 'calm' that was achieved with Egyptian mediation on June 19 and was scheduled to end tomorrow, ended because the enemy did not obey and did not act according to the terms of the 'calm,'” said Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha.
Other terrorist groups blamed Israel for the end of the ceasefire as well. DFLP head Salah Zeidan said Israel was at fault for closing Gaza crossings. Israel had offered to open the crossings if Gaza terrorists would go 24 hours without firing rockets.
Various terrorist groups violated the ceasefire dozens of times between June and October, beginning several hours after the ceasefire went into effect. In November terrorists fired dozens of rockets after IDF soldiers destroyed a tunnel in what Hamas said was a violation of the ceasefire. IDF officials said the counterterrorism measures forbidden by the ceasefire deal did not include pinpoint operations to remove immediate threats.
As the official end of the ceasefire approached terrorists stepped up their attacks, with 11 rockets and five mortar shells hitting southern Israel on Thursday morning and early afternoon. Earlier in the week, three Israelis were wounded in a rocket attack. The IDF responded with pinpoint airstrikes in Gaza, killing one Gaza Arab and destroying a rocket factory.
A recent poll conducted among Israelis showed that most believed the ceasefire should end and 47 percent said the government should have rejected the ceasefire from the beginning. Despite the lack of popular support, Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad visited Egypt several times recently in an attempt to continue the temporary “calm” in the Gaza area.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak stated Thursday that Israel is prepared to conduct a major military operation in Gaza if necessary. He refused to expand on Israel's possible response, saying, “We can't forget that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are listening to us.”