Other reports indicate that this was to be an attack on multiple communities in southern Israel on Rosh HaShana, one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, when many, if not most, of the men in those communities would be praying in the synagogue. See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3184908/posts for more insight.
This is exactly why Israel’s operation against Hamas has gotten Netanyahu popular support of about 85%, why the government continues to widen the operation, and why there is so much disgust with Kerry and Obama’s efforts to continue to protect Hamas, which they have funded with more than $1 billion since 2009 in flagrant violation of US law.
As a reminder, it is the US that twisted Israel’s arms to let Hamas receive 600 tons of concrete from Israel’s own Nesher Cement Company, which was used to build the tunnels at a cost estimated at approximately $1.25 billion.
It’s a violation of US law to give money or arms to Hamas, but it NOT a violation of US law for the USA to give humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, through an agency such as UNRWA. And note here that Israel does not have ANY PROBLEM AT ALL in passing through humanitarian aid through their checkpoints and into Gaza.
In fact, just a couple of days ago, the Israeli Ambassador spoke at the UN Human Rights Council and said that Israel is not against the residents of Gaza, but Israel is against Hamas.
One further point here is that both the USA and Israel have given money and aid to the Palestinian Authority and it is not against the law in the USA to do that (with the PA). Hamas is listed officially in the USA as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” but the Palestinian Authority is not.