Gaza terrorists attacked Israel and the IAF struck back.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel
Palestinian terrorists launched an explosive projectile from Gaza at Israel’s south early Thursday. The Iron Dome aerial defense system launched one interceptor towards the projectile but missed its target, and the rocket exploded in an open area in the Eshkol region, which has a population of some 14,000, causing no casualties or damage.
In response to the rocket attack, Israel Air Force (IAF) fighters attacked eight Hamas terror targets in three separate sites in Gaza, including a munitions manufacturing site and a training base.
The IDF stated after the strikes that “the Hamas terrorist organization is responsible for everything that is happening in and emanating from the Gaza Strip, and will bear the consequences for the terror attacks against Israeli citizens. The IDF is prepared for a variety of scenarios and is determined to continue its mission to protect the citizens of Israel. ”
WATCH: The IAF strikes in Gaza:
WATCH: Our fighter jets strike 8 Hamas targets in #Gaza, including a munitions manufacturing site. The strikes were in response to the projectile launched from Gaza at #Israel. pic.twitter.com/RGw19kBLHk
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDFSpokesperson) 25 באוקטובר 2018
IDF Gen. Hertzi Halevy, outgoing Commander of the Southern Command, stated Wednesday as he left his post that “the period is a complex period. We have progressed, developed and our advantages over our enemies are clear and tangible.”
He said that “a deterred enemy and desperate people are searching for any way underground and above it to harm our country. Intelligence, operational acumen, stratagem and patience are required.”
On the Brink of an Explosion
Tensions on Israel’s border with Gaza have become more intense in recent weeks, with Palestinian-initiated violence growing in volume and intensity.
The IAF bombed a Hamas post in Gaza on Wednesday after the IDF spotted terrorists launching arson balloons from it.
The south saw a severe escalation last week when Palestinian terrorists fired a rocket towards the southern city of Beersheba, directly hitting and demolishing a home. There were no Israeli casualties in the incident.
While Israel had been working to ease tensions on the border and help ease a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, most recently allowing a massive shipment of fuel to enter Gaza for electricity on Wednesday, the government has warned that Hamas’ actions are leading the area towards a full-scale war.
Addressing the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned that Israel has “exhausted all options” in an attempt to seek quiet in the area, and “only the most powerful blow [to] Hamas will help.”
Commenting on the prospects of a ceasefire with Hamas, Liberman stated that “when we talk about an arrangement, and I’m expressing my opinion here – I do not believe in any arrangement with Hamas. It does not work, it has not worked in the past, it will not work in the future.”
Israel has “reached a situation of no choice. Anything other than dealing the most severe blow – the heaviest we can – on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, will not help. We are truly in a situation of no choice,” Liberman asserted.
“My position is very clear. I think that we have reached a point where decisions must be made. We have exhausted all options,” he concluded.