Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered Israel's defense establishment to take “strong measures against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip” following the attack on IDF troops in Rafah on Sunday morning, his office said.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu issued the directive during a meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Shin Bet and Mossad leaders after Palestinian terrorists fired rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire at Israeli soldiers operating in the southern Gaza Strip.
Katz said he had instructed the IDF to “act decisively against Hamas terrorist facilities in the Gaza Strip,” warning that “Hamas will learn the hard way today that the IDF is determined to protect its soldiers and prevent any harm to them.”
The defense minister added that “Hamas will pay a heavy price for any shooting and violation of the ceasefire, and if the message is not understood, the intensity of the response will increase.”
A military source said more than 20 targets were hit in Gaza after the Rafah attack. The IDF called the strikes a response to direct fire on its troops and said operations in the area were continuing.
Terrorist group Hamas denies responsibility, saying its fighters in Rafah acted independently. “We are committed to a ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said in a statement, asserting that it had “nothing to do” with the incident and that communications with the Rafah area had been cut off “since March last year.”
(World Headquarters – New York)
