‘Gaza Will Be Hit Hard,’ Israel Warns Hamas After Rocket Onslaught

Over the weekend, terrorists in Gaza fired at least 36 rockets at Israeli towns and cities, several of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system.

By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Hamas on Saturday that if it keeps letting terrorists shoot rockets at Israel, it will suffer a decisive blow from the IDF.

Over the weekend, terrorists in Gaza fired at least 36 rockets at Israeli towns and cities, several of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system with the others exploding in open fields. Only minor damage was reported and no injuries, with the rocket fire stopping by Saturday evening.

“It is currently quiet in the south, but if it is not maintained, Gaza will be severely damaged, in the civic, economic and security realms, and those responsible will be Hamas leaders,” Gantz said. “The equation is known to them and very clear. The IDF is prepared for the possibility of escalation, and we will do what is necessary to maintain calm.”

On Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting of senior security officials at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv to assess the situation and said about Gaza: “I have ordered preparation for any scenario.”

Hamas claimed the rockets were fired in support of Arab rioters in Jerusalem, who have clashed with police in the capital and randomly assaulted Jewish Israelis.

Those incidents started with attacks by Palestinian youth beating up Jews in Jerusalem while their friends recorded the attacks on a smartphone, then uploaded the video to social media to gain praise for their assaults.

In one of the first incidents, an Arab teenager was filmed smacking two young ultra-Orthodox men in the face on the Jerusalem light rail. The video was then uploaded to TikTok. With the evidence all over the internet, Israeli police quickly arrested the perpetrator and those who helped him.

As the police clamped down on the attacks, Palestinian organizers realized they could take advantage of the momentum and have been clashing with police nightly after the end of the daily Ramadan fast. Hamas and other Palestinian groups quickly fanned the flames, pushing the fake news that the rioters were protecting attacks on the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City – an often-used cry to incite rioting when in reality nothing out of the ordinary is happening at the mosque.

Netanyahu said Israel would ensure law and order.

“We are maintaining freedom of worship as we do every year, for all residents and for all visitors to Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said. “At the moment we demand compliance with the law and I call for calm on all sides.”