During an Israeli cabinet meeting, on Sunday, Israeli Transportation Minister Meir Shitrit of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Kadima party has proposed firing Israeli-made Qassam shells at the Gaza Strip in order to deter Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from firing homemade shells at Israeli targets.
During an interview with the Israeli Radio, Shitrit said that Israel “find itself dragged into firing artillery at the outskirt of Gaza town in order to force the residents to leave their homes, and to pressure the Palestinian Authority in order to act against the firing oh homemade shells.
He added that when Israel shells the Palestinian areas, they hit houses and residents, and cause large casualties, “This would make the entire world turn against us”.
Shitrit proposes manufacturing small missile that is capable of making a lot of noise, and a very little damage.
“If they fall on someone’s head, they will kill him too, exactly like the Qassams”, he added.
Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, ordered on Sunday senior defense officials to use all means at their disposal to stop the launching of Qassam homemade shells from the Gaza Strip.
Sharon said that he ordered the heads of the military establishment that they should strike Gaza without restrictions, in addition to shelling resistance groups and their hideouts.
Also, the Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, said the closure of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank will continue until after the eight-day Hanukkah Jewish festival that began last night.
He claimed that the security services received several warning about intentions of the Islamic Jihad and other factions to carry out attack within Israel.
Mofaz gave the green light for extended military operations and assassinations, and said that the assassination policy has proven to be effective.
The army was instructed to carry ground ad aerial strikes in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to bar the fighters from reaching areas used for firing homemade shells.
Also, Mofaz added that the Israeli government intends to allocate further NIS 125 million to complete a plan to protect Israeli settlements and areas located in the so-called “Gaza envelope”.
