The Times of Israel reports that Israel’s security cabinet signed a major military response authorizing Israel to take extensive military action if terrorists in the Gaza Strip continue to fire rockets.
Photo: Israeli tanks stationed along the Israel-Gaza border, April 24, 2021
Dozens of rockets have been fired from the enclave over the past three days, and on Monday night the security cabinet signed a major military response to the continued rocket fire into Israel by terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, according to Israeli officials, were given the authority to decide what measures would be taken if the violence continues.
The decision came after a security cabinet meeting in which defense officials presented a number of potential military options to respond to further rocket attacks. The officials warned that a large-scale strike against the Hamas terrorist organization could lead to further outbreaks of violence not only in Gaza, but also in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The latest violence began late Friday night when terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired at least 36 rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel, causing minor damage to some Israeli communities near the border. The attacks resumed on Saturday night when more than four rockets were fired at Israel, some of which failed to cross the border and landed inside Gaza. Late Sunday night, five more shells were fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.
The IDF responded to Friday night’s attack with a strike on Hamas infrastructure, but Israel has avoided violent retaliation since then. Instead, on Monday morning, the Israeli military announced it would close Gaza’s fishing areas until further notice, cutting off the besieged enclave’s main source of revenue.
Photo: Protesters chant anti-Israeli slogans and burn tires in Gaza on the 24th.
The past three nights have seen riots along the Gaza border, in addition to rocket attacks, where protesters burned tires and detonated small explosives.
Since the attacks began, Israel has sent a number of messages to Hamas through various intermediaries, notably the Egyptian military and the United Nations, warning the terror group that the IDF would hold it accountable if it did not rein in other terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland, the leading international arbiter between Israel and terror groups in the Gaza Strip, regarding the escalating violence in the Palestinian enclave.
Photo: Defense Minister Benny Gantz (right) meets with Tor Wennesland on the 26th
In a statement, Gantz said, “I expressed the urgency of an immediate end to the violence from Gaza and reaffirmed Israel’s unyielding commitment to protecting its citizens and sovereignty. “
Israeli officials explained to Winnesland that the closure of Gaza’s fishing areas was the last attempt at a non-military response to rocket attacks, but that from now on Israel would use force to counter the attacks, according to the Walla news website.
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