After greater than 1000 rockets rained from the Gaza Strip on Central Israel on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror teams should “pay a dear price” for his or her assaults on Israeli civilians.

Israel has vowed to extend retaliatory assault to carry a ‘total long-term quiet’ earlier than continuing with any truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Hamas and militants in the Gaza Strip will “pay a very heavy price,” after a day of Gaza rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian coastal enclave.

Netanyahu said in televised remarks alongside his defence minister and military chief, “Hamas and Islamic Jihad paid … their blood is forfeit.”

Hostilities between Israel and Hamas escalated on Tuesday, raising the death toll in two days to 35 Palestinians according to the health ministry, and three Israelis. Israel carried out multiple airstrikes in Gaza while Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv. Violence has also ticked up in the occupied West Bank.

It was the heaviest fighting between the two bitter enemies since 2014, and it showed no signs of slowing.

However, the Prime Minister of Israel warned that “this campaign will take time” and the Israelis must follow all safety instructions issued by authorities.

While delivering statements alongside Defense Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, Netanyahu blamed the Palestinian terror groups saying “Their blood is on their own hands.”

“We stand united in the face of a vile enemy. We all mourn the dead and pray for the wounded and stand behind the IDF forces,” the prime minister said after a day that resulted in three fatalities from the airstrike including the death of an Indian nurse.

Statement by Israel’s Defense Minister 

Speaking after Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gantz said that the Israel Defense Forces keeps everyone safe, Jews and Arabs alike. He also called for calm between the two communities within the country.

However, the defence minister informed that retaliation will take place and that the IDF has identified “a great many targets in the pipeline” that it can yet strike in Gaza.

He added that the terror organizations “have been severely hit and will continue to be hit due to their reckless decision to fire at Israel.”

Global News published this video item, entitled “Israel’s Netanyahu says Hamas, Gaza militants will pay “very heavy price” for rocket fire” – below is their description.

IDF Chief responds

IDF Chief Kohavi clarified that the Israeli military is only hitting hard the Palestinian terror groups in the enclave and has conducted over 500 targeted strikes in the past day and a half.

“We are determined to strike terror groups in the most serious way possible,” Kohavi reiterated.

The military confessed to having initially believed that Hamas, a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of the State of Israel, was not interested in a full-blown conflict with Israel at this time. However, that assessment changed over the past two days after the Palestinian terror groups clubbed two events- unrest in Jerusalem after Al-Aqsa attack and eviction of Palestinian families from Sheik Jarrah to attack Israel.

Speaking at the same event, Israels’ Internal Security Agency Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman announced that “now is not the time for talking” after the terrorist organizations unleashed mindless violence 

Attack on Israel

The Hamas terror group, which currently rules Gaza, claimed to have launched over 130 rockets at a time in a violent onslaught on Israel. According to Israeli forces, terrorists of Palestine Islamic Jihad are also launching rockets attacking Israel.

Israel has been kept engaged in retaliatory targeted airstrikes on terror base which resulted in the killing of two top Hamas leaders.

Giving an update, Netanyahu informed that the military has so far struck hundreds of targets in the Gaza Strip and assured that the raids will continue.

References:

OpIndia