Terrorists in Gaza fired at rocket on the Sderot and Ashkelon Coastal areas, planted bombs at the separation barrier, fired an anti-tank rocket and clashed with soldiers Saturday.
The IDF fired on at least five rocket launcher cells, but TIME reported that Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who also is chairman of the Labor party, favors prolonging the official ceasefire agreement because an all-out attack on terrorists might cost Labor at polls.
The first pre-election surveys indicated that Labor will be mauled in the elections, dropping from its current 19 seats to as few as 11. "A prolonged, bloody assault on Gaza - which would probably fail to crush Hamas - could further jeopardize his [Barak's] chances," according to the magazine's reporters Tim McGirk and Aaron J. Klein.
A prolonged, bloody assault on Gaza - which would probably fail to crush Hamas - could further jeopardize his [Barak's] chances.
Barak's deputy minister and Labor colleague Matan Vilnai insisted that "The lull brings peace and quiet to the southern communities, and we have an interest to maintain it," they reported.
However, Barak has previously stated, and IDF officers agree, that an all-out clash between Hamas and Israel is inevitable.
TIME also maintained that Hamas also does not want the official ceasefire to end "yet" because it wants to strengthen its hold on Gaza and increase its army to 50,000. The terrorist organization already has prepared a massive underground city of tunnels and bunkers and has stockpiled Iranian-made long-range rockets.
On Saturday, the IDF, after having earlier denied Arab reports of a clash with terrorists, confirmed that there was an exchange of fire between soldiers and terrorists when the IDF safely detonated two bombs that terrorists had planted on the Gaza side of the separation barrier. No one on either side was wounded.
At least two Kassam rockets were fired Saturday night on the Sderot and Ashkelon coastal areas following a barrage of five rockets on Friday. All of the explosions occurred in open fields, causing no damage or injuries.
Islamic Jihad said it was behind the attacks, and Arab sources stated that four terrorists suffered light injuries in the IDF strikes on rocket launching cells.