Officials said Hamas has failed to stop missile launches and ambushes of
Israeli troops along the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. They said Hamas
has also begun to claim responsibility for attacks on the Israeli military.
"The military will know to find the right time to retaliate," Israeli
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.
On March 26, two Israeli soldiers and up to four Palestinians were
killed in a battle along the southern Gaza border. The Israeli military said
a Palestinian cell was found to have been planting bombs along the security
fence along the Israeli border.
"These are events that occur on a daily basis," Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant,
head of the military's Southern Command, said.
Both Hamas and the Iranian-sponsored Islamic Jihad claimed
responsibility for the attack on the Israeli border. Later, Israel's
military deployed main battle tanks in the eastern Gaza Strip and shelled
suspected Hamas and militia targets.
"They [Israeli troops] fell into an ambush," Hamas military spokesman
Abu Obeida said.
Officials said Palestinian cells have sought to either infiltrate the
border or ambush Israeli soldiers along the security fence. They said the
Hamas regime was aware of the Palestinian attacks, and in some cases
facilitated them.
"The IDF holds Hamas as solely responsible for maintaining peace and
quiet in the Gaza Strip," the Israeli military said.
The military has been preparing for the prospect of another war with
Hamas. The Israel Air Force has conducted a simulation to test
interoperability among missile defense systems, including Iron Dome,
designed to intercept Hamas short-range missiles and rockets.
"This is the first time we have run comprehensive tests on all the
systems," Lt. Col. Avi Cohen, commander of the Air Force's missile defense
program, said.
