Israel Warns Hamas Over Gaza Rocketing

From IsraCast, Thursday, November 17, 2011, by David Essing:

Israel Warns That More Rocketing From Gaza May Trigger Major IDF Counter-Attack...

Hamas Terrorists in the Gaza Strip

Israel's patience is wearing thin after repeated rocket attacks from Gaza have paralyzed much of southern Israel and forced over one million Israeli civilians into their bomb shelters for days on end. This was the message from IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz in a closed door briefing to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Later the IDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, told reporters that only 'an intiated and planned IDF operation' could put a stop to the Palestinian rocketing of Israeli civilians...

...Since taking office over two years ago, the Netanyahu government has adopted a 'zero tolerance' policy to the rocketing by launching, within twenty- four hours, pin-point air strikes at terrorist targets. Although this at times sparked flareups, it has not stemmed the Palestinian provocations. On the contrary, it has become apparent the Palestinians are ready to live with this tit-for-tat state of affairs, in order to harass the Jewish state.

Israel is no longer prepared to accept such a situation that enables the Palestinians, whenever they see sit, to terrorize most of the Israeli population in the south.

'Repeated rounds of Palestinian rocketing from Gaza point to need for significant IDF operation'
After IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz briefed the Knesset committee, his spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordedchai, elaborated to reporters that Israel was close to launching an operation to halt the rocketing. He said:

'The recent rounds of Palestinian escalation and the damage inflicted on Israeli lives and the daily life of our civilians in the south, point to the need for the IDF to a significant offensive operation'. 

This military appraisal emanates for cabinet deliberations after the latest rocketing salvoes in October.

...Vice Premier Silvan Shalom [said that] the Israeli government was 'very close' to giving the green light for such an operation. Shalom also left no doubt that Israel was no longer ready to tolerate the sporadic rocketing of her civilians and would, if necessary, launch a major counter- strike against Gaza.

Benny Gantz

...Gen. Gantz inserted another factor into the terrorist buildup. After the fall of the Gadaffi regime the assessment was that Libyan army weapons have been smuggled into Gaza. Not only Hamas, but all the terror organizations were continuing their buildup, so much so that Hamas was concerned about the growing strength of its rival, Islamic Jihad.
On the other hand, there there was no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. A senior IDF intelligence office reported that in recent months some ten-thousand trucks have transported supplies from Israel into Gaza...