Gaza crisis

"Every time my son hears a siren, he wets himself. Every time I leave the house, he asks if I'm coming back alive." Those are the words of Tal Rotem, a 37-year-old who lives in the Israeli city of Be'er Sheva about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the border with Gaza with his wife and four children, aged six, four, two and six months.

He's just one of thousands of people in Israel and Gaza waiting and watching anxiously as Israel ramps up its assault on Hamas and Gaza.

Although the past few days have been tough on the children, the local adults are used to it. "It's horrible to say," Rotem said. "But that's how it is, it happens a lot."

After previously ruling out a ground assault on Gaza, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now instructed the defense force to "go all the way" - meaning a ground operation may be possible.

Escalation likely

Retired Major General Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to the prime minister, admits invading Gaza could be a future possibility as Operation Protective Edge escalates - but only a last resort.

"If we do not find a solution through this exchange of fire, and Hamas does not back down, we will not have any other choice but to do the big operation which we don't want to do today," Amidror told DW.

"It is a realistic objective to conquer the Gaza strip - but it would take months to clean it of all the terror of Hamas and others," Amidror said.

Late Monday night (07.07.2014), the Israeli cabinet agreed to call up 1,500 reserve soldiers for stationing at the border as Netanyahu remained defiant, continuing the rhetoric. "The gloves are off. Hamas chose this escalation and will pay a heavy price," he said at a meeting of Israel's security establishment in Tel Aviv Tuesday.

Overnight, more than 100 missiles and mortars were launched at Israel. Israeli defense forces say they hit 50 targets in the Gaza strip, including the so-called terror tunnels and a weapon storage facility.

Amidror said Israel is doing all it can to protect citizens and residents on both sides of the border - including calling some to warn them their house will be blown up.

"I don't see any other military resistance in the world which did the same," he said. "We are doing our best - but some citizens will suffer."

Renewed worry for Israeli residents

People like Rotem, meanwhile, are concerned for their families. But he remains hopeful that things will calm down, adding: "Nobody likes war."

"All we want is a peaceful life," Rotem said. Regular Israelis don't have problems with the Palestinian people, he said, but with Hamas. "The terrorist organization - they want to destroy Israel."

Mike Rubin, who is in his 70s and originally from Boston, said many people experience anxiety from the ongoing rocket attacks - not just over the past weeks, but for the past decade.

"People are very stressed - many are on medication for trauma," he said. "When the sirens go off, I am frequently in the room with people who start shaking."

At one Ashkelon shopping mall, it was business as usual. A photograph circulated on Twitter saying the Israeli domestic security services would update people and close the mall if the situation between Israel and Gaza escalates.

Gazans on edge

In Gaza, 23-year-old Nalan Al Sarraj said she was starting to feel the intensity of the strikes, and also feared for the safety of friends and family. "The airstrikes are so loud and strong that they shake our whole building," Al Sarraj told DW. "No one is at work today - most offices are closed," she said.

Hospitals are in need of blood donations, she said, adding that most of the 40 injuries that occurred overnight are women and children. "The situation is getting very scary, especially after the talk of a ground invasion," she said.

Iyad Altahrawi, 24, said Gazans were spending the night waiting for the morning. "And in the morning we call friends and family around Gaza and check on them," he said. "It is an unjustified act of war," Altahrawi added, saying he thinks Israeli politicians are taking a tough stance in Gaza to gain votes.

Where will it end?

An international relations expert living in Gaza City told DW the breaking point will come when Israel tries to assassinate one of the Hamas leaders. The expert, who didn't want to be named, also said he expected Israel to start clamping down on journalists wanting to cross into Gaza through the only available crossing, Erez.

The expert said Gaza had been quieter today, but there was real concern for the safety of those to the north and south of the strip.

Major General Amos Gilad, who is the director of policy and political-military affairs at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, believes Hamas is losing the battle, because it has lost the ability to take Israel by surprise. He sees escalation as the only option.

"Hamas is determined to attack Israel and we are determined to defend ourselves and our citizens," Gilad said. "Hamas will never accept Israel, and will do its best to terrorize and murder Israelis." And he said a ground assault is still a possibility.

Meanwhile back in the city of Be'er Sheva, the damage has been minimal and to property rather than people so far. "I'm not a politician so I can't say when it'll all end, but I just pray … we all just pray,” Rotem said.