The IDF believes that the current war against the Hamas terrorist organization will not succeed in completely eliminating the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, Galai Tzahal (IDF Radio) reported this morning (Sunday).
According to IDF officials familiar with the matter, the expansion of the ground operation will certainly degrade the ability of Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza to launch rockets at Israel. However, it is estimated that even if Israel achieves all of its goals and completely eliminates Hamas, it will not be able to eliminate the possibility that individual actors will continue to be able to launch rockets at Israel.
A senior IDF officer said that "even in two years - it is possible that the residents of the Gaza envelope will hear Red Alert alarms."
Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference on the progress in the war against Hamas.
"The war will last many more months," Netanyahu said. "We will continue fighting until we have eliminated Hamas and released all of our hostages. We will not cease our efforts to bring back our hostages. We will not agree with Gaza being a source which encourages terror. We will ensure that Gaza will no longer threaten Israel."
"Every place I go, I hear from all sectors of the nation - continue, don't stop. I hear it from the families of the fallen heroes, from the injured, and from the commanders and the brave soldiers who I meet in the field. Everyone tells me the same thing: Continue until victory," Netanyahu said.
"In order to complete the goals, we need more time. We are working all the time with determination and strength, while doing the best to ensure the safety of our fighters.
"We are executing heavy fire and we are doing everything to ensure the safety of our forces. Our forces are fighting with force and using new methods above and below ground - we have the upper hand. We have thus far eliminated over 8,000 terrorists."