Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Monday told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee that he is ordering stepped-up IDF activities in an effort to bring a halt to Kassam rocket attacks from northern PA (Palestinian Authority) controlled Gaza. Peretz added that at present, he is not ordering a major IDF incursion into Gaza.
Rocket attacks into the Sderot and western Negev areas are a daily affair, striking Israeli civilian population centers inside pre-1967 Green Line Israel.
Analysts explain Peretz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are not seeking a war on the southern front as the country continues to painfully emerge from the aftermath of the war against Hizbullah in the north. This in addition to a recent reshuffling of a number of senior IDF command appointments, combined with the difficult atmosphere among some members of the IDF’s General Staff regarding IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz.
On Monday, a Hamas spokesman issued a warning to Israel, stating, “We will destroy your tanks,” in reference to a possible major IDF incursion into Gaza. Hamas has announced preparations for an all-out conflict with Israel are complete.
Israel intelligence report state Hamas is amassing anti-tank rockets, similar to those used in southern Lebanon, rockets which claimed a high price during the recent war, resulting in the deaths and serious injuries of many IDF soldiers.
Israeli intelligence community officials have confirmed that since the government-ordered retreat from Gaza in the summer of 2005, terrorists based in Gaza have significantly stepped-up weapons smuggling from Sinai, including explosives, automatic weapons, anti-tank rockets and more.
Kassam rocket attacks into southern Israel continue -- and in one such attack on Monday, striking the Nir Am neighborhood of Sderot, a number of people sustained shrapnel injuries and others were treated for hysteria. Barzalai Hospital in Ashkelon is treating the victims of that attack.
The Israel Air Force is continuing targeted surgical strikes against terrorist targets in northern Gaza, but the primitive Kassam rockets are difficult to target and eliminate. Their mobility, the ability to launch them from the back of a pick-up trucks makes tracking most difficult. An anti-Kassam defense system is in the works, but such a system is years away from being operational experts recently reported.
In the meantime, southern residents are angered, alleging the national government is not doing near enough to halt the attacks, stating they are under daily threat and unable to continue day-to-day existence without fear of attack. Schools and other public buildings are not all protected against incoming rockets as officials promised they would be, further adding to the concern of areas residents.
Rocket attacks into the Sderot and western Negev areas are a daily affair, striking Israeli civilian population centers inside pre-1967 Green Line Israel.
Analysts explain Peretz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are not seeking a war on the southern front as the country continues to painfully emerge from the aftermath of the war against Hizbullah in the north. This in addition to a recent reshuffling of a number of senior IDF command appointments, combined with the difficult atmosphere among some members of the IDF’s General Staff regarding IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz.
On Monday, a Hamas spokesman issued a warning to Israel, stating, “We will destroy your tanks,” in reference to a possible major IDF incursion into Gaza. Hamas has announced preparations for an all-out conflict with Israel are complete.
Israel intelligence report state Hamas is amassing anti-tank rockets, similar to those used in southern Lebanon, rockets which claimed a high price during the recent war, resulting in the deaths and serious injuries of many IDF soldiers.
Israeli intelligence community officials have confirmed that since the government-ordered retreat from Gaza in the summer of 2005, terrorists based in Gaza have significantly stepped-up weapons smuggling from Sinai, including explosives, automatic weapons, anti-tank rockets and more.
Kassam rocket attacks into southern Israel continue -- and in one such attack on Monday, striking the Nir Am neighborhood of Sderot, a number of people sustained shrapnel injuries and others were treated for hysteria. Barzalai Hospital in Ashkelon is treating the victims of that attack.
The Israel Air Force is continuing targeted surgical strikes against terrorist targets in northern Gaza, but the primitive Kassam rockets are difficult to target and eliminate. Their mobility, the ability to launch them from the back of a pick-up trucks makes tracking most difficult. An anti-Kassam defense system is in the works, but such a system is years away from being operational experts recently reported.
In the meantime, southern residents are angered, alleging the national government is not doing near enough to halt the attacks, stating they are under daily threat and unable to continue day-to-day existence without fear of attack. Schools and other public buildings are not all protected against incoming rockets as officials promised they would be, further adding to the concern of areas residents.