Israel expects Hamas to turn up heat on Gaza border as truce nears end

       Israeli defense officials are expecting a tense week along the Israel-Gaza border, as the six-month cease-fire (tahadiyeh in Arabic) between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas comes to an end on Friday. Major General Amos Gilad, the head of political military policy at the Defense Ministry, was expected to fly to Cairo Sunday morning to meet with top Egyptian intelligence officials to discuss the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, set to expire December 19. The assumption in Jerusalem is that while Hamas will seek to extend the cease-fire, the Islamic organization will try to alter the terms of the agreement to allow it to continue firing rockets and mortars at the western Negev at will. Barak supports the extension of the truce, despite the firing of over 200 mortars and rockets into Israel in the past month. Top IDF officers, however, have called for the resumption of military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip when the six-month cease-fire expires on Friday. In the latest violation of the faltering truce, Gaza terrorists fired a Kassam rocket into the western Negev on Saturday afternoon. Two rockets were also fired Friday morning. No casualties or damage were reported in the attacks. In the coming days, Israeli defense officials expect Hamas to increase the number of provocative attacks against Israeli targets, in an attempt to force Israel to accept worsened cease-fire conditions from Jerusalem's point of view. Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who backs the extension of the cease-fire, bases his position - in part - on a document prepared by his ministry, which argues that Israel's interests are best served by extending the cease-fire. There were three days of quiet on the Israel-Gaza border last week, presumably because of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. The moment the festival ended, on Friday, the rocket attacks resumed, and three Qassams landed in open spaces in the western Negev. No one was injured in the attacks. The daily launching of rockets resumed in mid-November, after an IDF operation to locate and destroy tunnels ended with six armed Hamas men being killed. (10,46)