With the five-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas set to expire at midnight Monday, the Israel Defense Forces was on high alert throughout the day, prepared for the possibility of renewed rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
With negotiations continuing in Cairo, IDF troops remained positioned in large numbers by the Gaza border, with soldiers leaving the area only for refresher training courses or very short breaks to see their families. The troops are prepared both for the possibility of an expanded ground invasion or for limited responses to Hamas rocket fire.
However, an IDF official has said the military has no intention of entering into a war of attrition with Hamas. The defense establishment was evaluating the security situation Monday and planning for the cease-fire\’s expiration.
If no progress is made in the talks, the IDF will remain on high alert, to avert any surprise attack from Hamas.
The military believes that terror organizations in Gaza still have in their possession some 3,000 rockets and mortar shells out of the 9,000 they had at the onset of Operation Protective Edge. Israel is concerned about the continued threat of rocket fire, as well as other weapons held by Gaza terrorists, including drones that can be sent into Israeli territory.
Meanwhile, thousands of mobilized reservists mistakenly received text messages on Sunday telling them they had been sent home. Their excitement quickly died down when a second text message was sent out acknowledging the error, and notifying reservists that they had to remain on duty.
The first text message read, "Dear soldier, as you are released from your service in the IDF reserves, we thank you for your participation in the campaign and for your contribution to the security of Israeli citizens."
The second message read, "Please confirm your release date with your commander."
Some 82,000 reservists have been called up since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge on July 8.