Olmert: Israel will not put up with rockets

"The Israeli government sees the firing of missiles and attacks from Gaza as a basic violation of our ceasefire understanding and we will not tolerate it, he said in the meeting. 

The prime minister emphasized that Israel will not allow the Palestinians to resume pre-ceasefire tactics, stating: "It's unacceptable that the population in Israel, in particular in the Gaza vicinity communities, will be subjected to a situation of such uncertainty, such as there was several months ago, prior to the ceasefire."

In this capacity, Olmert said that current military operations and presence in the Gaza vicinity community and the homefront command would be increased. Additionally, he said, the government would continue to pressure Hamas via issues like the crossings. 

Senior political officials noted that "we have not yet crossed the point of no return. If Hamas will stop the rockets, it will be possible to return to a ceasefire" but if Hamas violates the ceasfire, "it will pay a price."

For its part, Hamas announced that, whether the ceasefire is terminated now or as planned on December 19th, they will not renew a ceasefire agreement under current conditions.  They said they would demand guarantees against closure of crossings and request that the ceasefire extend to the West Bank.

Earlier, Defense Minister Ehud Barak visited Sderot and promised to "respond with force" in order to protect Israeli civilians and soldiers.