Hamas is using the Gaza Strip truce to build up its arsenal and fortify against any future Israeli invasion, the Shin Bet chief said.
Yuval Diskin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday that the nearly month-old truce brokered by Egypt has allowed Hamas to continue smuggling in weapons from the Sinai and lay minefields on the frontier with Israel.
At a briefing he said Hamas rockets are now capable of reaching farther than ever into Israel, – to Kiryat Gat 12 miles away and Ashdod 14 miles away.
Diskin said Israeli forces must establish a presence on the ground in Gaza if the Hamas build-up is to be contained. Such a move is unlikely, as it would constitute an obvious breach of the truce by Israel.
