According to many, the IDF is of the opinion that the next round of warfare with Hamas in Gaza is not too far off as the frequency of rocket and mortar attacks continues to increase, with 20 fired into southern Israel last week.

Operation Cast Lead, the counter-terrorism offensive launched in Gaza in 2008 was to have provided the answer, to neutralize Hamas’ rocket-firing abilities, but while it did result in significant relief for southern area residents, the situation is a far cry from the originally sought plan and we now realize it is a temporary fix at best.

There were 566 rocket/mortar firings in 2009, including 406 in January, most during Cast Lead, as compared to 2,048 in 2008, a significant decline. Nevertheless, in December 2009 there were 19 terrorist incidents in Gaza as compared to 13 in November; 8 Kassam rockets, 3 mortar shells and two bomb attacks. There were 6 shooting incidents.

There were already 20 rockets fired last week, and this week, rocket/mortar attacks have become a daily occurrence, prompting a growing number of experts to point at the next military action, which will unfortunately not be too far in the future if the current alarming trend continues.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)