[On Oct. 6, the Saudi-owned A-Sharq Al Awsat daily reported that Hamas
has arrested Palestinians suspected of planning to fire missiles into
Israel. The newspaper said the arrests were ordered by Hamas Prime Minister
Ismail Haniyeh as part of a crackdown against Palestinian militias.]
The sources said the Hamas strategy appears to have been approved by its
leading allies, Iran and Syria. They said Damascus and Teheran intend to
show the United States their capability to raise and lower tension in the
Middle East.
Hamas has taken a series of steps to escalate tensions with Israel. The
sources said Hamas has reorganized its military and other forces as well as
completed plans to create a human shield along the border with Israel.
Hamas Housing Minister Yusef Al Mansi was said to have approved a plan
to bring thousands of homeless Palestinians to the Gaza border. The
Palestinians, meant to live in mobile structures, were left homeless during
the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip in January 2009.
"The use of civilians as a human shield for terrorist attacks has been
expertly used by Hizbullah," the source said. "Syria has developed a
similar strategy along the Golan Heights."
The sources said Hamas would exploit any civilian presence along the
Gaza
border to construct tunnels that would penetrate Israel. The Hamas regime
has sought to dig tunnels from the Gaza Strip to nearby Israeli military
camps and communities.
So far, Israel has intensified operations around the Gaza Strip. On Oct.
4, the Israel Air Force bombed a suspected Hamas arms factory in Gaza City
in the first such attack since the war in January.
"We believe that we must restore the deterrence that existed after
Operation Cast Lead [Israel operation in Gaza]," the source said.
