In response to the rocket fire by Palestinian Islamists in the Gaza Strip toward Israel’s southern communities yesterday, Israeli air force jets targeted installations belonging to the Islamist Hamas organization, which controls the Palestinian enclave. Eyewitnesses in Gaza said the strikes were Hamas military installations, and noted that four people were reportedly injured. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum warned Israel that it bears responsibility for any escalation, if it would continue to target Hamas positions.
The Israeli enemy wants to blow up the situation in the Gaza Strip and to force a new state on the resistance and on our people. The Palestinian resistance has a clear and steadfast position and they will never allow any new situation and will never allow the Israeli enemy to continue to break the will of the Palestinian people by targeting the property of the resistance and its positions. Israel will be held responsible for any escalation and it should stop committing stupid acts against our people in the Strip,” said Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesman.
In a statement, the IDF emphasized that the air strikes were in retaliation to the Palestinian rocket fire directed at the Jewish state yesterday morning, noting that Israel views the Islamist Hamas organization as solely responsible for any rocket fire emanating from the Gaza Strip, even though according to Israeli military officials “it was apparent that Hamas did not fire the rocket”. After the air strikes, Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that why Jerusalem has “No desire or intention to initiate any military move in the Gaza Strip”, it will not tolerate even a “drizzle” of rocket fire.
“We have no desire or intention to initiate any military move in the Gaza Strip, but we also have no intention to tolerate even a ‘drizzle’ of rocket fire. We will not get into a ping-pong situation of fire and counter-fire. I suggest Hamas take responsibility, impose order and calm down,” said Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli Defense Minister.
Since the last war between Hamas and Israel in 2014, the internationally recognized terror group has observed a de-facto ceasefire with the Jewish state, but small Muslim Jihadist cells, most of whom affiliate themselves with the Islamic State, occasionally launched rockets toward Israel, in a bid to draw Israel in destroying Hamas installations. When those attacks occur, Hamas usually orders its fighters to vacate potential targets for Israeli retaliation, to avoid casualties.