Following yesterday’s successful terrorist attack inside Israel, It seems Hamas is trying to create another front to distract Israeli attention from Gaza. If that is what Hamas is trying to do, it isn’t exactly a roaring success. Israeli intelligence picked up information on another terror squad on the West Bank that was about to drive into Israel for a new attack. The Israeli Air Force spotted the vehicle they were in, confirmed the identity of the car and passengers, and blew it to pieces. Local Palestinians were able to carry away the bodies (or parts thereof).
There are reports from outside Israel that hostage release negotiations may be once again a possibility. Official Israeli sources have said that the main demand of Hamas, that there be a complete cease-fire, is out of the question. But that has not caused the rumors to stop. Hamas seems to have interpreted the withdrawal of many IDF reserve units from Gaza as a weakening of Israeli resolve. Local media coverage of Israeli cabinet meetings also can be interpreted to lend support to this idea. That may be why Hamas has recently been firing much larger daily rocket barrages at Israeli towns and cities. In the past, Hamas always tried to be the last one to shoot before a cease-fire, and to fire larger numbers of rockets, in order to project an image of strength and show that they were the victors.
Whatever may come from this, it should not be forgotten that international law (and simple morality) requires that civilian captives be immediately and unconditionally released.
Wetherhorn 