Israeli Official Visits Cairo With Ultimatum For Hamas

Israel Ministry Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad left this morning for Egypt with an ultimatum for Hamas: If the rocket fire continues, Israel will respond harshly.

The six-month “truce” that Hamas and Israel agreed to in June, with Egyptian mediation, produced something less than a cease-fire.

During these six months, the Israeli Army press spokesman tabulated that the Hamas shelled Israel 367 times from Gaza, with little Israeli military response.

According to Israeli security sources, Maj. Gen. Gilad intends to make it clear to the Egyptian mediators that the violations of the cease-fire were unacceptable and that Israel would begin to respond more forcefully to them.

If Hamas chooses to persevere with its policy of rocket attacks on Israel, either by means of its own men or by proxy, Israel will cease to consider itself bound by the truce agreement and will revise its military and civilian mode of conduct near the Gaza Strip. 
Similar messages have been passed on in the past to Egypt following mass rocket attacks on Israel. Every time, there has been rocket fire on Israel, Israel has asked Egypt to press Hamas into stopping, but without much success.

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com.