Israeli Intelligence: "Hamas is Stronger now!"

On Tuesday, Israeli Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, director of Military Intelligence, announced that Hamas had launched a rocket some 60 kilometers into the sea- meaning it could hit Tel Aviv. He also told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas has accumulated an arsenal of rockets slightly larger than the arsenal it possessed before last winter's Operation Cast Lead.

Hamas offered two different responses. First, the allegation was not rejected publicly but Israel was blamed for manipulating the international community. In the beginning, a spokesman for the organization's military wing, Abu Obeida, said: "The occupation can say whatever it likes, and whatever it says is dubious." Later, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum stated that the diplomatic crisis triggered by the report "has led the Zionist enemy to make up excuses in an attempt to instigate public opinion against Hamas."

So, was this really a tactical manoeuvre to mislead the international community and strengthen Israel's hand in the face of increasing criticisms, or a confession that the offensive in Gaza was a big failure?