Israel 'will be back in Gaza in one year'

[TriWooOx]

An Israeli officer says Tel Aviv will return to Gaza once more within a year to stage more attacks against the blockaded strip.

"We will strike again, not tomorrow but in a year," said a lieutenant colonel who spoke under the pseudonym 'Amos', AFP reported.

Israeli forces "were very close to" the whereabouts of the Hamas leadership, he added in reference to the latest wave of Israeli operations in the strip, which began on December 27.

"Another two or three days, (it would have been) a different story. The suffocation effect would have been much more effective," continued the army reserve officer.

Israel ended its major operations in Gaza and announced a unilateral ceasefire after having killed 1,330 Palestinians and wounding 5,450 others. The majority of the victims were civilians.

The officer claimed that the Israeli raids were originally planned to last "for two years" but were suspended "because (the government) got the shakes."

The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza has been largely attributed to the resistance shown by Hamas. Some analysts, however, say the Israeli side retreated from the Palestinian territory to protect its relations with world nations.

Some observers even say that Tel Aviv wanted to avoid burdening the incoming US administration with the conflict given President Barack Obama's promise to prioritize the matter.

"It's a shame that Israeli leadership is always ... America," the serviceman concluded, suggesting that it is the United States that dictates Israeli policies.

Hamas fighters have also promised to rearm amid reports of recurrent Israeli sting attacks in breach of the temporary Gaza ceasefire.

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