After more 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 groups will have to “pay a dear price” for their attacks on Israeli civilians.
Israel has vowed to increase retaliatory attack to bring a ‘total long-term quiet’ before proceeding with any truce.
#BREAKING Israel vows more attacks to bring ‘total, long-term quiet’ before any truce pic.twitter.com/eBo8A1vYds
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 12, 2021
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.”
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.