Israeli tanks shelled Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing one Hamas terrorist after an IDF officer was shot and wounded by a Palestinian sniper near the border. Armed Palestinian factions in Gaza later convened "to discuss a proper response to the crimes of the Zionist occupier."
Later Tuesday, Israeli aircraft carried out multiple strikes on a Hamas military site in northern Gaza.
Reports that largely cited Hamas sources inside the coastal enclave, however, said the commander of Iran's Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, is behind the current efforts to escalate hostilities in Israel's south.
In all likelihood, it was also Soleimani who gave the "green light" to the Palestinian sniper who shot the IDF officer, who miraculously was only lightly wounded after the bullet hit his helmet.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad has orchestrated the provocations along the border in recent days and unlike Hamas, it is beholden first and foremost to its patrons in Iran. As a reminder, Soleimani's forces in Syria were dealt a resounding operational blow on Sunday by Israel, which destroyed numerous Iranian military targets in response to an Iranian missile fired at the Golan Heights.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also canceled a Qatari donation of $15 million for the impoverished enclave that had been due on Wednesday as part of international efforts to head off an escalation. The prime minister made the decision after consulting with senior defense officials and convening an emergency meeting of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said: "Israel is solely responsible for the latest escalation in Gaza. Israel continues to hurt our people and the brave resistance will not agree to a situation where Netanyahu uses elections for his personal interests and harms the Palestinian people in a premeditated manner."
Worried about a potential flare-up escalating into a full-on conflict, Egypt and the United Nations have sought to calm the situation in Gaza, while Qatar in November pledged $150 million in donations, to be transferred via Israel over six months, in the hope of easing economic pressure.
The Israeli official who announced the postponement did not say when the next $15 million payout might now take place. Netanyahu has previously stipulated that the cash injection was contingent upon calm along the Gaza border.
In a statement, the IDF said it "sees the Hamas terror organization as being solely responsible for what happens in and originates from Gaza. The IDF is prepared and willing to act against all acts of terror from Gaza and is determined to defend the citizens of the State of Israel."
'A disgrace to the residents of the south and the IDF'
Also on Tuesday, residents of southern Israel protested against the transfer of the Qatari funds to Hamas.
One protester, a member of Kibbutz Ruhama, said that transferring the third Qatari payout would be a slap in the face to the residents of the south and the IDF.
"When you see the deterrence in the north, it's hard to understand the weak policy in the south. The IDF is very capable of coping on all fronts, and here we have an evil organization whose might is equal to one one-hundredth of the might of the enemy in the north, so what's the problem with preventing Hamas terror?" he said. "Why surrender and give them $15 million when they use some of the money for terror in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria? It's absurd."
