Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s military has determined that Hamas was split over whether to continue its ceasefire with the Jewish state.

Military sources said the intelligence community assessed that the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip was under strain from senior commanders to resume missile and rocket strikes against Israel.

The sources said the commanders were urging rocket launches against major Israeli cities without approval of the government of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

“There is a growing faction in Hamas that wants to punish Israel for recent air strikes,” a source said.

The sources said many in Hamas’ military wing, Izzedin Kassm, have been preparing for an escalation, including another mini-war with Israel. They said Izzedin Kassam was resisting orders by Haniyeh to stop the nearly daily Palestinian rocket strikes on Israel over the last month.

“Kassam was angry over Israel’s policy of attacking Hamas in retaliation for rocket strikes by other Palestinian factions,” the source said.

Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip confirmed the infighting within
Hamas. They said Izzedin Kassam was prevented at the last minute from
launching a rocket barrage toward Israeli cities on Jan. 31.

During the previous day, Israeli air strikes were said to have caused major damage to Hamas military facilities.

“In one Israeli attack, three missile warehouses of Kassam were either
destroyed or badly damaged,” a Palestinian familiar with Hamas said. “This
marked a significant loss for Hamas and Kassam wanted to retaliate.”

The sources said Kassam was stopped by the Hamas leadership abroad as
well as Qatar. They said Kassam was warned that retaliation could result in
another damaging war with Israel that could include a ground invasion of the
Gaza Strip.

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has
repeatedly warned Hamas of a major attack. In early February, Israeli
Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz raised the prospect of the
destruction of the Hamas regime.

“We will have no other choice,” Steinitz said.

  Gaza Strip, Hamas split on retaliating against devastating Israeli air strikes on missile warehouses, Ismail Haniyeh, Izzedin Kassm, Yuval Steinitz