IDF Fighters. Photo: IDF.

Israeli residents and leaders of areas surrounding the Gaza Strip are concerned that any possible future ceasefire with Hamas would not end the ongoing rocket fire into Israel, and would leave the terrorist group unbowed.

“We must not allow the terrorists to run our lives,” said Yair Farjun, who heads the coastal Ashkelon Regional Council, just north of Gaza.

“We have to ensure that the job is done, and make sure they can’t dig any more tunnels,” Farjun said, according to Channel 2 News.

Israel “must keep hitting Hamas,” the head of the influential Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Knesset Member Ze’ev Elkin, said Monday.

“We must not agree to a ceasefire,” he charged, and told the Israeli NRG daily that “Hamas is still firing at us because they are not deterred and haven’t yet reached a breaking point – they must emerge from this operation with no gains.”

Sdot Negev Regional Council chief, Tamir Idan thinks “A ceasefire would be a terrible mistake.”

Idan contends that since “IDF forces are already within Gaza, and their intel knows the locations of the tunnels, we need to allow them to deal with the tunnels as long as it takes, without holding them to a timetable.”

He said a break in the operation could be devastating. “What would happen if terrorists came out at night in a settlement?” he asked. “It’s a mistake that could cost us precious blood.”

“The war has been characterized by more than a few ‘ceasefires,'” Eshkol Regional chief Haim Yellin pointed out.

“It reminds me of a guy who decides to quit smoking, but not when… I promise you that when there’s a ceasefire worthy of the name and changing our preparations – I’ll let you know,” Yellin said, dismissively.

“Until then, we’re at 15 seconds,” he said, noting the quarter minute close-in residents to Gaza have to reach a protected area when incoming rocket sirens blare out.