The murder at the fuel depot at Nahal Oz yesterday shows that Israel is having a hard time establishing a sufficiently effective deterrent against the terror organizations operating from the Gaza Strip. Even if Hamas is not currently firing rockets at the Negev itself, it is continuing to clash with the Israel Defense Forces along the Gaza border and is not lifting a finger to rein in the smaller Palestinian factions firing Qassams and sending operatives into Israel. In contrast with the situation on the Lebanese border since the war, there has barely been a single day of quiet on the southern border in the last two years.
Without sufficient deterrence, the IDF is unable to completely prevent Palestinians from infiltrating into Israel or sending snipers to shoot at Israelis or place explosives near the border fence. Of dozens of attempted attacks, one must assume that every once in a while the terrorists will achieve a victory, especially when the attack is as well-planned as yesterday's.
In the past, there was an attempt to maintain a kind of buffer zone of about a kilometer west of the fence, where Palestinians were not allowed to enter. In effect, though, this does not happen today. In the past week alone, shots were fired at Public Security Minister Avi Dichter's entourage in Givat Nizmit and at farmers in the fields of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha. A tunnel was found near the fence in northern Gaza, and yesterday's shooting attack took place.
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This is partly because the IDF has reduced its offensive operations in the security zone west of the fence. When its activities were more intensive, the number of incidents along the fence decreased. In the last month, in light of the indirect understanding reached through Egypt, the IDF reduced its activities in this area. (The operation in which an IDF soldier was killed yesterday, east of Khan Yunis, was part of a renewed effort in the security zone, due to sniper fire on farmers). Without creating depth on the Palestinian side of the border, it is hard to thwart terror attacks.
In addition, there was a specific failure related to yesterday's attack: Despite the observation posts along the border, especially near the crossings, the infiltration by terrorists was noticed too late. The four Palestinians managed to cross the fence unhindered and kill the two truck drivers at short range. The IDF did at least respond quickly, sending a tank and infantry after the terror cell and killing two of its members inside the Strip. Later, acting on intelligence from the Shin Bet security service, the Israel Air Force attacked vehicles holding operatives involved in the operation.
The Israelis were surprised yesterday that the Palestinians were attacking a border terminal that is still operating, even if on a reduced scale. The Palestinians' logic is that if Israel reacts by cutting off what is left of the fuel supply, that will illustrate the suffering of the Gaza residents.
On the Palestinian domestic front, the residents' anger will once again be directed toward Israel, and on the international front, the press and United Nations will condemn Israel while the murder of the two drivers will be rapidly forgotten. That is one of the reasons Israel was in no rush last night to declare an extended closure of the border crossing, making do with an announcement that the terminal would be closed to investigate the attack.
