Two Israeli Cabinet ministers warned of a possible escalation along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday that a conflict in Gaza is a "matter of when, not if," The Times of Israel reported.
In a Tuesday interview with Army Radio, Housing Minister Yoav Galant, a former general and head of the army's Southern Command, said, "Shooting at citizens of the state of Israel is a violation of sovereignty, and attempts to damage the psyche. We will not let things like this go as if nothing happened but hit anyone who tries to harm us.
"Is this a process that will lead to an escalation in the end? In my estimation we will reach this round [of escalation] and I mark the coming spring as the point we need to be prepared for."
The comments followed several rounds of back-and-forth fire in Gaza, all of them initiated by Hamas.
On Monday, Hamas opened fire on IDF troops near Gaza's border and the IDF retaliated by destroying a Hamas position. Also on Monday, Hamas fired rockets at Israeli civilians and the IDF responded by attacking Hamas military bases.