As night fell, the IDF waited to see how the Palestinians reacted to the wide-ranging Israel air strikes up and down the Gaza Strip which first killed the Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari Wednesday, Nov. 14.  After full mobilization, Hamas, the Jihad Islami and the Salafist groups, could muster 35,000 fighters. Despite between 10 and 15 Israeli air attacks on  Palestinian long-range Fajr-3 and Fajr-5 rocket sites, more are believed to have survived intact and still able to threaten central Israel. The Palestinians are also holding rocket stocks in reserve in Sinai, out of range of Israeli attacks and readily accessible to Palestinian fighting units in the Gaza Strip.

Soon after Israel launched its Pillar of Cloud counter-terror air offensive in Gaza, Hamas appealed to Cairo to open the Sinai crossings for access to their rocket arsenals. “We are going to war,” its leaders explained.  The Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was shortly due to issue a statement on the Israel operation.

The spokesmen of Hamas and Jihad Islami have vowed to hit back at Israel not just with rockets but also by suicide attacks in Israel’s heartland.

The IDF spokesman earlier reported that additional brigades were on standby for ground operations in the Gaza Strip if Palestinian missile attacks continued.  All schools within rocket range of the Gaza Strip will remain closed Thursday and emergency services are on high alert. The million Israeli civilians suffering perennial Palestinian rocket attacks are advised to stay indoors for the duration of the operation.