Israeli defense officials have been growing concerned over a recent increase in the number of attempts to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip. They are particularly worried by the efforts of Palestinian terror groups, led by Hamas, to smuggle anti-tank missiles into Gaza.

The Palestinians have been trying for years to improve the quality of the anti-tank missiles at their disposal. Shortly before Israel withdrew from Gaza as part of last summer's disengagement plan, the Palestinians succeeded in improving the quality of their missiles by smuggling modern rocket-propelled grenades to replace the improvised weapons they had used until then.

Now there is a marked attempt to improve still further the quality of the missiles in the Palestinian arsenal. Hamas is particularly interested in getting its hands on the Russian-made missiles the Syrian army has. Some of these missiles were used by Hezbollah during last month's conflict in the North.

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Based on that conflict, the Palestinians have concluded the Israel Defense Forces' armored divisions are vulnerable to anti-tank missiles developed in the Eastern bloc and are now making redoubled efforts to arm themselves with such weapons. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Hezbollah - and even Syria - are involved in these plans. Senior defense officials, including Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin, have recently warned that the border between Egypt and Gaza is wide open to arms smuggling, and that large quantities of weapons, including some advanced weapons, have already crossed the border.

The progress that has been reported in contacts between Israel and the Palestinians over the return of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit has not reduced the number of attempted attacks emanating from Gaza.

There is also growing concern in Israel over the possibility that Palestinians will attempt to launch an attack from the sea. There have been several such attempts in recent years, primarily by Islamic Jihad, which has dispatched booby-trapped boats close to Israeli naval and merchant vessels.

Sources in the Central Command have identified over the past few weeks a revival in the terror activities of military cells affiliated with Hamas. Since the election in the Palestinian Authority nine months ago, these cells have kept a low profile and have refrained from participating in terror attacks.

The Hamas government is now trying to establish a special security force in the West Bank, along the lines of the force it has already created in Gaza and which operates alongside the PA's security force. Hamas hopes to recruit several hundred activists, who will join the PA payroll.