The political-security cabinet is expected to meet Wednesday morning to discuss the new situation which has unfolded since Tuesday, when a Qassam rocket for the first time crossed the red line and landed in the center of Ashkelon.
Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem told Ynet that very harsh response is expected following the incident.
Defense Minister Air Peretz ordered the Israel Defense Forces to increase the pace and intensity of military operations following Operation Summer Rain in Gaza, and said that the operation had two goals: To return kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit and the removal of the Qassam threat.
The Qassam rocket which fell in Ashkelon Tuesday was only a matter of time as far as defense officials were concerned. None had any doubt that it would happen.
Security forces know that the time has come to operate in the most determined way.
The attack last week near Kerem Shalom, in which and IDF officer and soldier were killed and Corporal Gilad Shalit was kidnapped, was also a new signal by the terror organizations: For the first time, use was made of tunnels to bring terrorists into Israel.
"Since the disengagement a sharp upwards curve on the part of terrorist organization has been registered in all that is connected to collecting arms and evolving existing weapons. They are doing everything to bypass the electronic security fence, operating from the sea, land, and air via the Qassams. This is a complex campaign that will eventually have results," an IDF source said.
"All of these operations are by the Hamas organization which is beginning to take of its gloves and returning to terrorist activities," the army source explained.
"Along the way we have also seen an intensification by this organization. It is still unclear whether it has gone all out, but the trend is clear and this is the situation with which we must contend with," he added.
Upgrading attempts continue
In recent months and weeks, the IDF has identified several types of Qassam rockets fired at Israel. Some of the rockets were experiment platforms aimed at looking into the improving potential. The rocket that landed in the heart of Ashkelon was also a rocket of that type, with a double mechanism, which managed to reach a 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) range.
"We have already seen several Qassams with a double mechanism, which landed in areas closer to the Strip. This time it fell in Ashkelon," a Southern Command officer explained.
"The tunnel issue is also not new, there were attempts. Last week it succeeded and at the end it hit us terribly."
The Gaza division has a number of plans to operate inside the Strip. Forces and headquarters held different kinds of trainings recently in order to prepare for an actual incident. The large forces that flocked to the Strip since last Sunday – some of them already inside the Strip – constitute a relative advantage for the IDF. Once the order is given, the army will be able to operate inside the Strip within a number of hours.
Senior IDF officers admitted that the situation was complicated, although did not wish to elaborate on the issue.
"There is quite a difficult battle here with many considerations, some not in the military field, and therefore our maneuvering is not so big and requires a lot of caution," one of them agreed to tell Ynet.
The Southern Command estimated that terror organizations possess other Qassam rockets that can reach Ashkelon.
"The number is probably limited, but it's there. Just like the Grad rockets. The upgrading attempts continue all the time," an officer said.
In practice, the role of the forces operating in the southern and northern Strip is not to hit Qassam cells. Such cells are sometimes spotted, trying to target the forces or carry out another operation. Then soldiers open fire at them.
A decision on an operation against Qassam launchers, a more offensive operation, is being planned. Forces from the Golani and armor divisions are waiting for orders near Kibbutz Zikim. In actual fact, the IDF will at least wait for a discussion by the political echelon, which will instruct how comprehensive the operation should be.
The Air Force, that carried out more than 230 flights in the Gaza Strip, including strikes on terror cells, storerooms and infrastructures, will continue to operate all the more forcefully.
The air force continued its operations Tuesday night, attacking several targets in Gaza. The first target struck was a Hamas training camp in the southern Strip. No injuries were reported in that attack. About an hour later, IDF aircraft struck the Palestinian Interior Ministry's building in Gaza City. Five Palestinians were wounded in the incident.
The army later targeted a structure belonging to Hamas in northern Gaza that the IDF claims was used as a school during the day and as a gathering place for the organization's members at nighttime.
Ronny Sofer contributed to the report
First published: 01:07, 07.05.6