Israel on the horns of a dilemma

It is not immediately apparent why Hamas has been motivated to escalate the number of attacks at this time, nor why it is apparently seeking to provoke a military response from Israel.

One answer to that question may lie in the fact that Iran has increased its influence among militant groups in Gaza including the supply of rockets and other weapons.

High ranking member of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh recently threatened to strike first against Israel rather than wait for an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

With a history of using proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, rather than directly confronting Israel, it is arguable that Iran has influenced Hamas to launch its rocket attacks in an attempt to distract world attention from Iran's nuclear activities that many claim to be a covert weapons program.

Israel faces a difficult choice in whether or not to send ground forces into Gaza.

Either option has significant risks.

One critical factor will be the evolving nature of the threat Israel faces from militants, and whether it would be more advantageous for Israel to confront such a threat at a later time.

If Hamas and other militant groups continue to fire rockets and mortars into Israel, it is only a matter of time before Israel concludes that the only option available is a ground invasion.

The consequences could be far reaching and wildly unpredictable.