(Huffpost).Israel's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, told a closed Knesset committee meeting that the current situation, in which Israel carries out limited reprisals in response to rocket fire, cannot be sustained.
"Eventually we will have to go toward a broader offensive action in Gaza to stop the rockets. We cannot keep on going round after round of violence in Gaza."
Gantz told the committee Tuesday that the Islamic Jihad is stockpiling weapons and in Gaza, and even Hamas is worried about the buildup.
A senior military official told The Associated Press this week that Hamas, along with smaller militant groups, now possess sophisticated anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. He said they also have rockets capable of reaching Tel Aviv, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Gaza, meaning that Israel's main population center would be in range.
The official said many arms have flooded into Gaza in the wake of the Libyan revolution, with looted weapons making their way through Egypt's Sinai peninsula and into Gaza through smuggling tunnels under the border. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.