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Source: http://jcpa.org/article/operation-pillar-of-defense-gaza-november-2012-objectives-and-implications/
Operation Pillar of Defense: Objectives and Implications
(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Brig.-Gen. (res.) Michael Herzog - Both in the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead and in the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel's government focused its objective on enhancing deterrence - opting for hitting the terrorists hard enough to give them an interest in a ceasefire for as long as possible - rather than dismantling Gaza's terror infrastructure or toppling the Hamas government. The government was right to determine more limited objectives, and successful in achieving them without resorting to a ground operation. Hamas still receives weapons from Iran, which now publicly and proudly takes credit for it; Iran wants it known that it does more than the Sunni states to aid Hamas' anti-Israel struggle. For the time being, there is unprecedented quiet along the Israel-Gaza border. To sustain the ceasefire, however, it is essential to get Egypt to effectively stop the smuggling of weapons through its territory into Gaza. The writer served as chief of staff and military secretary to four Israeli defense ministers and as head of the IDF Strategic Planning Division.