Saturday's border incident, in which IDF troops eliminated four heavily-armed terrorists trying to infiltrate the Israel-Gaza border mandates a course-correction by both Israel and Hamas.
The fact that a local cell decided to run an independent operation with the aim of committing a strategic terrorist attack means something is seriously off in terms of how Israel is handling the Strip.
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The attempt itself was the proverbial blast from the past: this is what border infiltrations looked like between the 1950s and the late 1990s – terrorist cells armed to the teeth and carrying supplies meant to last for days, gearing up for a relatively lengthy stay on Israeli soil.
The target of the cell is unknown and, to tell the truth, it's irrelevant. With the kind of firepower they were carrying – several AK-47 assault rifles, RPG launchers, and grenades – they could have carried out a major terrorist attack against civilians and soldiers.
The defense establishment has no doubt that Hamas was not behind this attempt. Moreover, military officials believe Hamas knew nothing about this, because had Gaza's rulers known about it – and given how an attack of this caliber would have undermined Hamas' interest of maintaining the ceasefire with Israel – its forces would have stopped it.
Still, this type of terrorist cell doesn't come together in minutes. This likely took weeks, maybe months to plan, which should be enough for any security service – let alone one that boasts absolute control on the ground as Hamas does – to catch a whiff of such a plan; especially when the cell comprises mostly former members of Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas military wing, who became even more radical and splintered from the Islamist terrorist group.
The IDF, for its part, was ready. A combination of intelligence and real-time surveillance allowed Golani soldiers to scramble to the area, engage the cell and eliminate the threat.
It appears that the Gaza Brigade learned the lessons of last week's border infiltration, during which the terrorist was on Israeli soil for two hours before he was eliminated.
Two border infiltrations by armed terrorists just days of each other are not a coincidence but rather a warning sign. They indicate growing difficulties by Hamas in terms of reining in the rogue elements in the Gaza Strip, as well as the Palestinians' growing distress there and how many seek to change the status quo vis-à-vis Israel by any means necessary.
There were some in Israel that hoped that the Palestinian's rage would be turned against Hamas, but as usual, when in distress, the Palestinians turn on Israel.
This means that if Israel and Hamas seek to maintain the calm and ensure escalation will not be triggered by the random whim of a frustrated youth, then something has to be done, be it intensify security efforts on both side of the border to use mediators to accelerate talks.
Israel, for its part, must also make it clear that it's patient is running thin and that while Hamas was not behind the recent incidents, so-called "independent agents" still take their cue from Gaza's rulers.
The fact that the IDF apprehended the two terrorists who murdered Cpl. Dvir Sorek last week within 48 hours of the attack reflects the Shin Bet security agency's dominance on the ground.
This is exactly why the defense establishment would be wise to heed the Shin Bet's warning on how volatile the situation on the ground is. The military has to remain vigilant but so do our politicians, who have to exercise responsibility and maturity in their statements – something of a tall order during an election campaign – if we are to avoid unnecessarily fanning the flames.
