Military chief anxious to step up Gaza assault

A hardline Israeli general, Moshe Ya'alon, has taken up the challenge of extending military operations from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip yesterday when he was named the country's 17th chief-of-staff.

A sign of Israel's preparedness for a long conflict was underlined by the army's decision to erect electronic surveillance fences around Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The fencing is in addition to the barrier being erected around the West Bank in an effort to provide a buffer between the Palestinian territory and Israel.

The burden of protecting Israelis from Palestinian attacks has now fallen on the shoulders of Lieutenant General Ya'alon,

who appears to have no illusions about how tough his job will be.


During a visit to Washington last month, General Ya'alon told Bush Administration officials that it was inevitable the Israeli Army would have to launch a major offensive against the Gaza Strip, in the event of terrorist attacks being launched from there. Israel has launched two such operations so far this year - Operation Defensive Shield and Operation Determined Path, which is still under way and involves the extended re-occupation of seven Palestinian towns.

The Gaza Strip has avoided a major assault by ground troops, despite the territory allegedly being home to prominent leaders of militant Islamic groups claimed to have carried out a campaign of suicide bombings.