Israeli cabinet cannot claim ignorance

The head of Israeli’s internal security director gives his threat assessment to the Israeli cabinet reports Arutz Sheva:

IsraelNN.com) The head of the General Security Services (Shabak), Yuval Diskin, told the cabinet on Sunday that Palestinian Authority terrorists in Gaza are already equipped with missiles capable of hitting the port of Ashdod and Kiryat Gat. According to Diskin, the enemy in Gaza must be defeated immediately if a greater escalation is to be avoided.

"Ever since the Philadelphi Route [between Gaza and Egypt] was breached, Hamas has
"The threat to the State of Israel is growing exponentially." -- Shabak head Yuval Diskin been bringing high-quality weaponry into the Strip, which has made it possible to fire beyond Ashkelon, as far as Kiryat Gat and Ashdod," he warned.
Ashdod, the fifth largest city in Israel, is home to over 200,000 residents and Israel's largest port, accounting for sixty percent of the country's imported goods. It is located just under 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) north of Gaza. The inland city of Kiryat Gat, in the Southern District, is located 56 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of Tel Aviv.

"They already know how to operate sophisticated weapons there," Diskin said of the terrorists in Gaza. "They have not yet shut the door on the Egyptians' efforts [at brokering a temporary ceasefire], but they are preparing for the next round." According to Shabak estimates, if Hamas does not obtain all its goals in a temporary ceasefire agreement, "then there will be an even greater escalation."

Diskin told the ministers that Hamas in Gaza currently has firepower that must be "dealt with immediately. If you don't take care of this problem now, then it will become more severe. The more time passes, the operation that will eventually be carried out will cost more casualties and more dead soldiers."

So the question becomes how much further will the Israeli Minister of Defense order the IDF to retreat - so the IDF will be safely out of harm’s way?