This article was originally published by Maan News and is republished with permission.

An Israeli radio program reported that Israel is considering an all-out offensive on the Gaza Strip in response to an alleged military buildup by Hamas.

Voice of Israel radio reported Thursday: "The military source [said] that the decision to invade Gaza is now at the political level, which has different considerations from the military one. The military source said that Hamas will soon possess Katyusha rockets, and it has made a huge shift in owning weapons since the Israeli military left [the Gaza Strip] two years ago."

The sources also said: "Hamas is continuing its growth, and smuggled 20 tons of explosive materials into Gaza Strip in the last few months." The Voice of Israel reporter, Eial Alima, reported that Hamas has a well trained army in Gaza, and in the last two years, with its relationship with Iran, Hamas has become able to make huge [advances] in its militant part."

According to an Israeli colonel, Israel is convinced that Israeli Private Gilad Shalit, captured over a year ago by Hamas, is still alive and is still being held somewehere in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi believes that Hamas owns anti-aircraft weaponry, but is not sure what range the weapons have. He says an Israeli assault on Gaza would involve four separate approaches to the seaside strip, including from the ocean and from underground tunnels.

"They sent 20 men to be trained in Iran and they have 400 trainees in Gaza," Israeli military sources said. "Hamas is focused on training its men in military techniques … therefore Israel must forget what they have known about Hamas and its power in the past. Now they have 13,000 fighters and four brigades. Hamas sent twenty men to be trained in Iran and they come back to train 400 in Gaza."

The Israeli colonel also said that the Palestinians they have arrested in the investigation of Gilad Shalit's kidnapping gave some information to the Israeli intelligence agency that will lead to a still larger investigation.

Finally, the Israeli colonel said: "We have solutions but they have their own prices. We don’t see the Egyptians or the Europeans stopping Hamas, and the only side that is going to work on that is Israel. We have organized plans, and our forces had trained on that. We can do it but we don’t have orders to. The hard thing in the first place is to have the orders for our aim and what are the forces needed to be used. [There is] no political solution for Hamas; we have only the military one, but for each there is a price."