enior Israeli officials said for the first time in the war that they believed that the Hamas military wing was beginning to crack and that Hamas leaders inside Gaza were looking for a cease-fire.
In Jerusalem, Israels prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told the nation that Israel was getting close to achieving the goals it set for itself, but that more patience, determination and effort are still demanded.
Mr. Olmert was speaking in the public part of the regular Sunday cabinet meeting, and his words were broadcast to an Israeli populace that supports the war against Hamas in Gaza but is nervous about how and when it will end.
Mr. Olmert gave no time frame, but said Israel must not miss out, at the last moment, on what has been achieved through an unprecedented national effort.
The Israeli military said on Monday that warplanes attacked five Hamas operatives along with weapons caches, tunnels and other targets, while Israeli gunboats fired from the sea. Some of the air strikes were called in by ground forces fighting Hamas gunmen, the military said in a statement.
Israeli officials also said Sunday that the military had been sending reserve units into Gaza since Thursday. They did not specify the number of reservists. The announcement appeared aimed at adding pressure on Hamas but it also raised the possibility of an expansion in the conflict, which began Dec. 27.
