Maj. Avital Leibovich, spokeswoman for the Israeli Defense Force, was asked if Hamas political leaders could be targeted. Her response is as bold as it is simple; "any Hamas target is a target". Within the first hours of the spectacular air raid, over a hundred members of Hamas have been killed, and every security compound has been struck in Gaza. The disruption of their security forces signals the resolve of the Israelis; they will almost certainly be going in, although to what extent remains to be seen. This does not surprise me at all.
The chief of Hamas' police in Gaza was amongst those killed. The tough words from the IDF spokeswoman makes clear that this is only the beginning to an adventure who's nature has been justified by the continuing rocket fire that indiscriminately rains down upon Israel. Those rockets will likely be fired more rapidly as the age-old conflict runs anew, and indeed, Israeli leaders may be planning for that. New advancements in radar technology may allow for Israel to track the origin of rocket fire, allowing more rapid, precise, and justified counter-attacks of launch positions.
The exact plans of the IDF remain yet to be seen, and while we can speculate all day and night, we won't know for sure until this thing develops. The targeting of security compounds does hint at a ground invasion, but hints in warfare are often deceptive. As Israel does what she must to protect herself against the rocket fire, I hope that the Palestinian bloodshed will be kept to as little as possible.