In light of calls for an Israeli attack on Hamas in Gaza, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi acknowledges that the fate of captive soldier Gilad Shalit is a factor in the equation.
Speaking with IDF Army Radio on Monday morning about the increased onslaught of Kassam rockets from Gaza at Israel, Ashkenazi said, “I have no doubt that we will have to ‘take care’ of Hamas.” Though he added that “we have a government in Jerusalem, and we will implement whatever decision it makes,” he also stated, “It is clear that we cannot accept this situation.”
Her walk to school, usually a calm, few-minute affair, involved three consecutive mad dashes to find shelter for three consecutive Color Red rocket alarm warnings .
The Chief of Staff was referring to Hamas resuming its rocket attacks following its declaration that it would no longer honor the six-month old ceasefire. Life in the Negev city of Sderot, for instance, which had returned to normal as the ceasefire proceeded, abruptly resumed its chaotic, frightening, Color-Red emergency siren-filled existence.
One Walk to School, Three Rocket Warnings
One 12-year-old girl in Sderot, for instance, arrived from home to her school a few blocks away on Sunday morning crying hysterically. Her walk to school, usually a calm, few-minute affair, involved three consecutive mad dashes to find shelter for three consecutive Color Red rocket alarm warnings – including one with her little brother in tow, and another one in the middle of an open field with no shelter in sight.
Ashkenazi warned that an Israeli military operation in Gaza was very liable to lead to a Hamas counter-response, “but I believe that we will know how to meet that situation as well. We understand the complex situation that we face, and we know what to do.”
The complexity has partially to do with IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been in Hamas captivity in Gaza for two and a half years. “The Shalit issue is one of the considerations that affects the decisions about Gaza,” Ashkenazi said plainly. Despite the oblique reference to the fact that an IDF offensive would endanger Shalit, he nonetheless added, “We are also responsible for thousands of other soldiers as well.”
“No day goes by without us dealing with how to bring Gilad home,” Ashkenazi said. “The mission is clear to us, as well as its importance. We are sparing no effort to find the way to bring him back.”
In light of reports that Be’er Sheva is now within range of the rockets, Ashkenazi said, “Hamas has consistently improved their range and quality. This is not new.”
With election-time calls by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu and others for an offensive in Gaza, Ashkenazi said, “I don’t think that this debate should be public. We are ready to do what has to be done, but the public debate causes only harm.”
Livni spoke with her Egyptian counterpart on Monday, warning that Israel would not be able to remain apathetic in light of the situation and that the state has a responsibility to protect its citizens. Conflicting reports abound regarding Egyptian-Hamas ties; despite reports that the two are at odds, other reports said that Hamas has agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire with Israel, beginning Sunday night, at Egyptian request.
By mid-afternoon Monday, however, a mortar attack had been fired at Israel's Eshkol region. There were no casualties or damage reported.