Israel reconsiders large-scale operation as Gaza violence continues

Following Supreme Court approval for proposed measures to place pressure on Hamas-ruled Gaza last week, Israel yesterday reduced by a small margin the supply of electricity provided to Gaza.  This latest move came against a background of continued attacks on Israeli civilians from Gaza by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups. Seven Qassam rockets and eight mortar shells were fired at Israeli communities in the western Negev yesterday and 15 more rockets were fired this morning. The ongoing terror perpetuated from the Gaza Strip raises again the possibility of a large-scale IDF ground operation to deal with the rocket threat.

The reduction of the electricity supply is intended to impose gradually increasing pressure on the Gaza Strip, in the hope that its Hamas rulers will be induced to cease the firing of rockets and shells on Israeli civilian targets. Continued reduction of supplies will depend on security and humanitarian assessments, according to officials quoted in the Israeli media this morning. The hope is to reduce the dependence of Gaza on Israel, and for the rulers of Gaza to begin to establish alternative means of acquiring electricity, as they have said is their own desire.

In related news, IDF forces yesterday released footage of silos used for launching rocket attacks on Israeli civilian targets in the western Negev. The silos were discovered in the northern Gaza Strip during recent operations. The rocket silos were two meters deep and one meter in diameter. Hamas spokesmen did not admit that the silos were used for this purpose, but declared the movement's ability to continue rocket fire. The use of silos is understood to be a reaction to Israel's success in operating against the rocket launching cells in the strip. To avoid detection, the organisations in Gaza began using remote-control to launch the rockets. The methods used by Hamas seem to adopt tactics used by Hezbollah in Lebanon, whose operatives used hidden rocket launchers to attack Israel during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. IDF sources said that the detection of the silos and the new methods of operation utilised by the terror organisations highlight the importance of ongoing ground activity in the Gaza Strip.

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