The first 24 hours since Hamas' request for a cease-fire passed in total silence. Saturday has gone down in Israel Defense Forces records as the quietest day on Israel's border with Gaza since the end of March, when Hamas first embarked on its border campaign. Hamas may have erred when it had one of its snipers fire at a Givati Brigade soldier, who later died of his wounds. The IDF believes this was a local initiative, because preparations in the area did not indicate a readiness to either absorb or respond to the IDF's reaction to the sniper fire. Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh had been standing not far from the border area at the time. The positions the IDF attacked immediately following the sniper fire were manned, and between five to eight Hamas terrorists were killed in the strikes as a result. The fact is that Hamas did not respond to the IDF airstrikes by launching rockets at Israel.
It is still too early to determine whether this last round over the weekend restored the deterrence in place following 2014's Operation Protective Edge. According to one media report, Israel has committed not to target children or youths sending over incendiary kites. Still, no understandings have been reached that go beyond what was agreed upon in Operation Protective Edge. IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said, "We have not tied our hands. Yesterday there was another attempt to penetrate [Israel's border]. We fired at Hamas positions. They did not respond."
The entire range of targets is open to attack, and no one in Hamas' senior echelon has immunity.
Since the beginning of Hamas' campaign, the IDF's policy on the border and the incendiary balloons was to create a "cumulative balance of losses" on the other side. The terrorists acted on three fronts: They shot rockets, attacked the border fence and launched incendiary kites. The IDF considers its efforts on the border fence front a success because the border was not breached, one of the main goals of the so-called "March of Return." It's not entirely sure the enemy is of the same opinion. It has used the border as a means to endlessly occupy its people and give them the sense they are engaged in a war of attrition. Furthermore, for the first time in the history of Israel's wars against Hamas, the Israeli Left, along with some American Jews and the Democratic Party, are standing in support of the terrorist organization. From Hamas' perspective, the fact that Israeli intellectuals have come to, in some respect, identify with the Islamonazi terrorist organization is a remarkable achievement.
Nevertheless, the IDF has established legitimacy to respond to the arson attacks with attacks on Hamas' military assets; including by taking out terrorists, destroying their command and logistics infrastructure and destroying their tunnels. The IDF believes the damage incurred by the other side is disproportionate and that Hamas is reaching the necessary conclusions, in part because its leaders know they should expect an escalation.
The IDF's goal is clear: to restore peace and quiet. At some point, someone here will have to decide whether Israel can live with a terrorist entity capable of rattling the country, each time through the use of new and unexpected methods.
