13-Jul-12: "Noticeable increase in attempted terror attacks since Shalit transaction"

A busload of some of the 1,027 convicted killers and lesser terrorists set loose by Israel
in the Gilad Shalit transaction is received in Gaza, October 2011 [Image Source]

When political commentators warn it's going to happen, you can take it or leave it. They're paid to worry and sound pessimistic, after all.

When parents whose child was murdered in a massacre engineered by the convicted killers who walked free say it's going to get worse, you can retort "So what? That's what you'd expect them to say, right?" 

But when a senior operational commander in the highest echelon of the IDF reports that the bad consequences have already begun to happen - perhaps it's time to prepare for worse to come.

From Yisrael Hayom (Israel Today), today:

Shalit deal sparks increase in terror, says IDF officer There has been a sharp increase in the number of attempted terror attacks since the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit last October, according to the outgoing commander of the Binyamin division, Col. Saar Tzur."Prison is like university for the terrorists – anyone who goes in comes out upgraded," Tzur said in an interview with Army Radio. He said that following the Schalit deal, there was a noticeable increase in the number of attempted terror attacks both in the Judea and Samaria region, which falls under his command, and inside Israel proper. "It doesn't matter whether they were released to Gaza, the West Bank or abroad – we see a return to terrorism,” Tzur said. “Another problem is a considerable increase in the flow of funding [to terrorist groups]..." "Civilians don't notice it, but we're working a lot harder – lots more pinpoint operations aimed at capturing cells while they are still at the planning, rather than operational, stage," he said.

This might be the absolute, very last such comment emanating from a senior military voice. Or it might be the first of many. 

Meanwhile....

On Israel's Gaza border, a solitary armed terrorist approaching the border fence opened fire on an IDF patrol in the middle of this hot Friday afternoon, close to the Erez Checkpoint. That's the major pedestrian/cargo terminal located at the northern end of the Gaza Strip. The Gazan gunman was hit by the Israeli fire and died. From bitter past experience, the Home Front Command has just issued a formal warning to Israeli residents in villages close to Israel's Gaza border to be on rocket alert. That means stay no further than 15 seconds running time from the nearest bomb shelter.