Senior officers question the wisdom of Gaza operation

The IDF was preparing yesterday for a possible military operation in Gaza, massing forces on the border of the Strip, but senior security sources said the "focused, time-limited operation," could be called off at the last minute after American pressure on both sides.

Reservists, mostly from the Southern Command, were called up yesterday under emergency orders (Tzav 8). However, a dispute has broken out within the IDF about the necessity of the operation and that criticism could lead to a smaller-scale action.

Foreign Minister Shimon Peres yesterday said the IDF will not reoccupy Gaza and any operation would be "focused." Military sources said there might be an incursion to the edges of the cities and refugee camps in the Strip that would concentrate on Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Most of the infrastructure of both those organizations is in the northern sector of the Strip. In the south, in the Rafah area, the IDF is concerned about intensive weapons smuggling along the Egyptian border. A new tunnel was found yesterday, the fourth in less than a week. IDF officers say the solution is a significant expansion of the military presence along the Philadelphi corridor on the border.