Top Israeli lawmakers called for massive military action in the Gaza Strip.
Tzachi Hanegbi, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and a member of the ruling Kadima Party, told Israel Radio on Friday that Israel should reoccupy parts of Gaza and topple the Hamas government.
Matan Vilnai, the deputy defense minister called for a “catastrophic” response, and Gideon Saar, a member of the opposition Likud Party, also advocated a raid, according to reports in Ha’aretz.
Ehud Barak, the defense minister, has said such action is possible, but not in the immediate future.
Rocket attacks enabled by Hamas have increased since Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza last month in a bid to stop the rocket attacks and have in recent days reached as far north as Ashkelon.
A college student in Sderot was killed on Wednesday and a home in Ashkelon was hit Thursday. On Friday, a rocket hit a Sderot home while a family was having lunch, slightly wounding a woman.
