Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel was preparing for a broad campaign in the Gaza Strip in the event of a major escalation, stressing he had no illusions that a political agreement could be reached with the enclave's ruling Hamas terror group.
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"I want there be calm, but we are not under the illusion that we can reach a political agreement with Hamas who wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth," Netanyahu said during a meeting in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Thursday, an area heavily targeted in previous flare-ups.
"We are preparing for a campaign that is not only broad but also surprising," Netanyahu said.
"I am not going to hesitate to do what is necessary," Netanyahu continued, vowing that "election considerations" will not guide his policy decisions with regards to the security arena.
#Israel's military claims it mistakenly killed the #Hamas Al Qassam brigades member on the #Gaza border. @DanielTsemach reports 📰➡ https://t.co/DMga3TVcKq pic.twitter.com/TlsZ4XQxAB
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) July 11, 2019
Netanyahu has faced criticism over his policies towards the Gaza Strip in light of repeated incidents of rocket fire, border clashes, and cross-border arson attacks that have wreaked havoc on agricultural lands near the border, but others have praised his restraint.
A new truce agreement between Israel and Gaza's Hamas was meant to restore calm on the border and bring to an end the launch of incendiary devices across the border but it has only partially been enforced by the terrorist group.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
