Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman authorized the expansion of the fishing area off the coast of Gaza to 6 miles along the northern part of the strip and to 9 miles along the southern part.

In the course of recent escalations with Gaza, the fishing area was minimized multiple times to 3 miles, only to be gradually expanded afterwards.

Sources close to Liberman said that the move comes within the context of efforts to exhaust the possibilities of achieving calm between Israel and Hamas on the Gaza border.

The Defense Minister claimed yesterday that the majority of the Prime Minister's cabinet is opposed to his proposal to land a heavy military blow to Hamas. "There is no way to reach an agreement with Hamas, and without landing the hardest blow we can, we won't achieve a return to quiet and tranquility in the South."

Liberman also addressed the protest of Israeli citizens residing in the areas surrounding Gaza, expressing support for their actions.

"They're 100% right" declared Liberman. "It's not possible to continue like this. Without landing a forceful blow, there won't be tranquility. We have sufficient capabilities to achieve peace without a ground operation."