Bigger Trouble brewing in Gaza

First, this article from Ynet News, by Roni Sofer, 9/2/08:

Labor party's Ami Ayalon sends angry letter to top officials, charges that Winograd conclusions have not been implemented in handling of Gaza border breach

.....Minister Ami Ayalon has reportedly sent a harsh letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak and demanded that an urgent cabinet meeting be convened to discuss recent developments in Gaza.

In the letter, Ayalon is particularly interested in discussing the Gaza border breach by Hamas and charges that the failure to hold a cabinet meeting on such strategic issue is tantamount to a failure to adopt the conclusions of the Winograd Commission, which examined the Second Lebanon War.

.... In his letter, Ayalon apparently complained that a comprehensive debate on the Gaza border breach has not taken place in the cabinet even though three weeks have passed since then.

.... One cabinet minister already complained about the issue ...."Where is the orderly discussion? Where are the working papers of the National Security Agency, the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the Foreign Ministry?" the minister said. "Where are the government decisions on such a principled matter? How can they conduct themselves like this even before the ink dried on the Winograd Commission's conclusions?"


...and this, also from Ynet, 9/2/08, by Hanan Greenberg:

Defense officials: Hamas attacks in the works

The defense establishment is dealing with an increasing number of warnings regarding Hamas plans to carry out a major attack in the Gaza Strip area... the organization seeks to boast an achievement via terrorism.....

... security officials say that Hamas continues to boost its military strength and group members are constantly working to prepare themselves for a possible large-scale IDF ground operation.
"We can see Hamas' progress every time they come into contact with IDF soldiers in the Strip," the defense official said. "We can see that they are more highly skilled people who are better equipped than before and they operate like an army."

"Therefore, the attitude to Hamas' potential is serious," the source added. "We know that Hamas prepared several 'contingency attacks' – that is, an attack that is ready for execution and merely requires a decision to carry it out." ...