In a move to set the stage for another offensive on the Gaza Strip, Israel has warned that the current ceasefire between Tel Aviv and Hamas could be easily broken.
"The ceasefire is not complete and is very fragile," a senior official quoted Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as telling a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
The premier also ruled out the possibility of lifting the crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, saying there are other issues that should be dealt with in the costal sliver.
"We are being asked to ease the living conditions of the population and allow goods and equipment in, but we have other priorities in the Gaza Strip," he added.
"We do not want to strengthen Hamas, not by allowing them to rebuild their defenses," Netanyahu said.
He made the remarks on the same day that the Israeli military launched a large-scale maneuver which hints that another war in the region is imminent.
The Israeli premier added that "we need to find a balance between easing the conditions of the (Gaza) population and easing on Hamas' ability to acquire more weapons."
Israel has long been accusing Hamas -- the democratically-elected ruler of the Gaza Strip -- of arms smuggling, but Hamas repeatedly rejected the allegations and said it would continue to arm its fighters as it is the movements "legitimate right".
Tel Aviv unleashed its three-week-long offensive in the territory in December to stop the movement from fighting its occupation. The all-out war claimed over 1,350 Palestinian lives including women and children but failed to achieve its objectives.
Tel Aviv eventually announced a unilateral ceasefire in January 18, but declined to lift the two-year-old blockade, which was kept even during the war on the coastal region.