Israel to step up operations in Gaza

The officer said another plan presented to Olmert entails the creation of a large ditch along the Gaza-Egypt border that would be filled with water from the nearby Mediterranean Sea, causing any weapons-smuggling tunnels constructed along the border to collapse.

IDF sources said plans to stop Qassam rocket-fire include the reoccupation of the northern Gaza Strip, from which most rockets have been fired, or the stepping up of targeted operations to take out rockets and rocket crews before the projectiles are launched.

The IDF is aware Palestinians have smuggled into Gaza longer-range rockets that can be fired from the central part of the territory so that if the northern Strip were occupied, rockets can still target nearby Jewish communities, military sources said.

"Occupation of the northern Gaza Strip will inhibit a lot of rocket fire, but we know we would need to retake most of the central and northern Strip to completely stop the fire," an IDF source said.

Senior military leaders said any major Gaza operation would be planned for later next month, after Olmert returns from a trip to the United States scheduled for Nov. 13.

The military leaders worried politics might hamper what they say are "necessary" military operations.

"Olmert cannot afford another disaster like Lebanon," a senior IDF officer explained. "Any major ground incursion includes risk to the lives of Israeli troops. Olmert might not want to risk anything unless he can be convinced the overall plan will be absolutely successful."

Military chief: Israel may reoccupy Gaza

Last, week, IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz announced the military is considering establishing a regular presence in Gaza.

Halutz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee IDF troops in recent days uncovered more than 100 tunnel entrances dug by Palestinian militants on the Egypt-Gaza border for intended weapons smuggling activities.

The IDF chief said a military presence at the Philadelphi Route, the border road between Egypt and Gaza, would be preferable to the absence of IDF forces in the area.

"We are close to the decision point regarding our presence along the Philadelphi Route, if the present reality of arms-smuggling doesn't stop," Halutz said.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz immediately responded to Halutz' presentation saying Israel would not reoccupy the Gaza Strip, but the IDF would continue to operate against weapons smuggling if needed.

"We have no intention of reoccupying the Gaza Strip," Peretz said during a tour of the Southern Command. "We have no intention of remaining in the Gaza Strip. (Still), there is no military operation that will not be carried out, should we reach the conclusion that it is the way to defend the citizens of Israel."

Terror leaders prepare for war in Gaza

During the past few weeks, senior terror leaders in Gaza, including militants from Abbas' Fatah party, told WND they are planning for war against Israel.

"We are turning Gaza into south Lebanon," said Abu Ahmed, northern Gaza leader for the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group.

"We learned from Hezbollah's victory that Israel can be defeated if we know how to hit them and if we are well prepared," Abu Ahmed said. "We are importing rockets and the knowledge to launch them, and we are also making many plans for battle."

Abu Abdullah, a leader of Hamas' so-called "military wing," told WND his group is preparing for war against Israel.

"In the last 15 months, even though the fighters of Hamas kept the cease-fire, we did not stop making important advancements and professional training on the military level. In the future, after Hamas is obliged to stop the cease-fire, the world shall see our new military capabilities," said Abu Abdullah, who is considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared "resistance" department.

Al Aqsa's Abu Ahmed said his group is receiving help from Hezbollah to import long-range rockets and train in guerrilla warfare tactics.

"We have warm relations with Hezbollah, which helps with some of the training programs," Abu Ahmed said. "We don't have anything to be ashamed of – that we are dealing with Hezbollah and that we are receiving training and information from them."

He said Hezbollah maintains cells in the Sinai.

"The Sinai is an excellent ground for training, the exchange of information and weapons and for meetings on how to turn every piece of land into usable territory for a confrontation with Israel," Abu Ahmed said.

The terror leader said Palestinian groups are developing war bunkers inside Gaza similar to the underground Hezbollah lairs Israel found during last month's war in Lebanon.

"Our preparations include the building of special bunkers. Of course, we are taking into consideration that Gaza is not the same topography as Lebanon," Abu Ahmed said.

During its confrontation with Hezbollah, Israel destroyed scores of complex bunkers that snaked along the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border. Military officials said they were surprised by the scale of Hezbollah bunkers, in which Israeli troops reportedly found war rooms stocked with advanced eavesdropping and surveillance equipment they noted were made by Iran.

Abu Ahmed said the most important "tool" in the "Palestinian resistance" arsenal was rockets. He said his group learned from Hezbollah that Israel can be defeated with missiles.

"We saw that with the capacity to bombard the Israeli population with hundreds of rockets every day we can change the strategic balance with Israel," he said.

Palestinian terror groups generally have fired at Israeli towns three versions of Qassam rockets, improvised steel projectiles filled with explosives and fuel. Qassams can travel between one and five miles depending on the sophistication of the particular rocket.

Israel has noted improvements in Qassams, including rockets carrying double engines.

Israeli security officials say a large number of Katyusha rockets have been brought into Gaza. Katyushas can travel about 12 miles and can deliver large payloads. Hezbollah fired more than 2,800 Katyusha rockets into Israel in July and August, devastating many northern towns.

In August, Islamic Jihad fired a Katyusha rocket into the Israeli Negev. It landed in an empty area. In June, the group fired a Katyusha-like rocket that traveled about nine miles.

"The Katyusha we fired (in August) shows we can have every weapon we need," said Abu Ahmed. "It is only a matter of a small period before Gaza is ready for war."