Barak told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas
was avoiding a direct confrontation with Israeli forces. Instead, Hamas was
said to be preparing to attack Israeli forces in cities throughout the Gaza
Strip, particularly
Gaza City and Khan Yunis.
"Hamas did not seek a direct confrontation with our forces and wants to
drag our forces into urban areas," Barak said.
Officials said the intelligence community has told both the government
and Knesset that Hamas could rapidly reorganize and attack Israeli cities
and strategic sites. They said Hamas's military wing remains intact despite
some losses in the command and could keep fighting for weeks.
"The military wing has not been hurt as much as we would like," Israel
National Security Agency director Yuval Diskin said.
Diskin told the Cabinet that Hamas's political leadership has been left
in disarray. He said the political leaders, including Prime Minister Ismail
Haniyeh, has sought a ceasefire to stabilize the regime.
In contrast, Hamas's military continues to display firepower skills.
Officials said the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip has done little more
than hamper the flow of Hamas combatants and weapons.
"They're bouncing back," Brig. Gen. Yossi Baidatz, head of military
intelligence's research division, said.
In a briefing to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,
Baidatz said Hamas has reduced its missile and rocket fire amid Israeli air
strikes on manufacturing facilities. But the intelligence officer termed
this a "tactical move."
"Hamas is keeping the option to increase the fire of mortar shells and
rockets," Baidatz said.
Officials said a key goal of the Israeli government of Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert was to deny Hamas the capability to rearm after any ceasefire,
expected to be reached over the next few days. They said Israel has appealed
for U.S. support for projects that would block the construction of weapons
tunnels along the Sinai-Gaza border as well as
deploy international monitors with equipment to detect tunnels.
"The results of the operation must be that Hamas must not only stop
firing, but must no longer be able to fire," Olmert said. "We cannot accept
a compromise that will allow Hamas to fire in two months against Israeli
towns."
