Gaza rocket attacks have resumed. Spent Palestinian rocket. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock
More rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel over the weekend, and Israel responded with air strikes on terror targets. As the tensions between Israel and terrorists in the Gaza Strip brew, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a warning to those who think that next month’s election in Israel will prevent Israel from engaging in another full-scale military operation in Gaza.
“I suggest to Hamas—don’t count on it. We will do everything necessary to restore security and quiet to the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip and to the south in general,” said Netanyahu on Sunday in comments released by his office.
Netanyahu acknowledged that some of the attacks stemming from Gaza lately have come from other terror groups besides Hamas. However, given Hamas’ power as the authority in Gaza, the Israeli leader expects the main Gaza terror group to keep the smaller ones in line. “We have recently seen provocations and heads being raised from the direction of the Gaza Strip. This has been done by dissidents, but this does not absolve Hamas,” said Netanyahu. “Hamas is responsible for everything that comes out of the Gaza Strip, and we respond accordingly, with assaults by Air Force planes against Hamas targets.”
This weekend was no different. On both Friday night and on Saturday, rockets were fired from Gaza, according to the IDF Twitter feed. In response to the Saturday attack, an IDF Twitter post noted that “we responded by striking several military targets in a Hamas compound in Gaza & 2 Hamas vessels.” On Friday, per the IDF Twitter feed, the Israelis hit “several Hamas targets & underground structures in Gaza.”
Those underground structures weren’t just highlighted in the current conflict over the weekend—they were a topic of discussion for key American officials as well. United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman visited one of the decommissioned Gaza terror tunnels that led into Israel on Sunday, along with visiting US Senator Lindsay Graham. Tweeted Friedman, “Cost of tunnel = cost of 2 new schools = cost of 30 new homes. #Hamas consistently makes the wrong choices for the people of #Gaza. Heartbreaking.”
Hearts won’t be the only thing breaking in the coming days if the attacks from Gaza continue, according to Israel. Netanyahu last week toured the Israel-Egypt border, which is near the border with Gaza, and had stern words for the rulers of the Gaza Strip.
“I am aware that in recent days there has been a renewal of Hamas aggression in all sorts of ways,” said Netanyahu last Thursday in comments released by his office. “Hamas should understand now that any display of aggression will be met with a very vigorous response on Israel’s part. They would do well to understand this now rather than later.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, March 10, 2019)