Defense Minister Ehud Barak appeared before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday and said that the IDF is "operating in all manners possible to stop the Qassam fire against Israel."
According to Barak, "the IDF is preparing for a large-scale operation in Gaza, its possible alternatives and consequences. We will not deter from any course of action needed to give the residents of Sderot and the Gaza vicinity communities their peace."
The defense minister told MKs that during its extensive operations in the Strip, the IDF has killed some 200 terrorists in the last four months, including 16 in recent days.
"The IDF and the Shin Bet area ready and are preparing for future actions. They are our finest," Barak declared.
Barak also responded to the harsh criticism leveled at him by Sderot's residents Sunday, saying, "The residents are going through trying times. The anger and the pain are sincere and justified, and it is our duty as the government to help then in any way possible, alongside our security efforts."