Shin Bet chief: Hamas missiles menace Kiryat Gat – or even Ashdod port

The internal security agency director Yuval Diskin told Israeli lawmakers Tuesday, July 22, that he opposed the Gaza ceasefire the Israeli government approved with Hamas – and continues to oppose it – because it gave Hamas what it wanted.
In a briefing to Knesset foreign affairs and defense committee, Diskin said Hamas has used the month-old truce to build up its military strength and bolster its rule of the Gaza Strip. It has acquired extended range missiles capable of reaching Kiryat Gat, a town 21 km northeast of Gaza and possibly the big Mediterranean port town of Ashdod, 23 to the north.
Diskin warned that Hamas is using the time to sow minefields to stall an Israeli counter-terror operation, while continuing to smuggle arms through Egyptian Sinai.
The month-old ceasefire deal omitted to impede Hamas’ war buildup or secure the release of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit.
The only way to curb Hamas’ war preparations, the Shin Bet director said, was to establish an IDF military presence in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian terrorist attacks from the West Bank have been radically curtailed by the Israeli army’s presence and the defense barrier. Diskin stressed that no amount of intelligence would do any good unless it was applied operationally.