JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to use force to stop what he described as attacks from Gaza after rocket attacks followed by Israeli raids that left a martyr and wounded. This comes as the director of Egyptian intelligence postponed a visit to the Palestinian territories on the truce.
At the conclusion of security consultations on Wednesday in the military leadership of the so-called "Gaza Brigade," Netanyahu said that if the attacks did not stop from the Gaza Strip, Israel will stop it strongly and firmly.
Netanyahu has postponed the meeting of security cabinet staff until this evening, and chaired security consultations with military and security leaders after the fall of two rockets fired from Gaza, one in the city of Beersheba, and the other off the shores of Tel Aviv.
In conjunction with his threats, Netanyahu ordered Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to close the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for individuals, and Kerem Shalom for goods, and to reduce the fishing area allowed off the coast of Gaza.
Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation Tsahi Hanegbi said that there was support for Hamas not responsible for launching the rockets, but justified the raids that the movement is running the sector, pointing out in the meantime that the majority of ministers of the Israeli government do not see the interest of Israel to wage war On Gaza.
This is the first time in months that rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory. One of the rockets hit a house in the city of Beersheba, 40 kilometers from the Gaza Strip, causing severe damage.
Immediately after the rocket fire, Israeli aircraft launched raids on military positions belonging to the Palestinian resistance in various areas of the Gaza Strip, killing the young man Naji al-Za'anin (25 years). The Mujahideen Brigades announced that the martyr belonged to him.
| Palestinian people are sharing the young Naji Za'anin who was martyred in the Israeli raids (Anatolia) |
The position of factions
The joint operations room of the Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip, including the Hamas movement, has condemned the rocket fire from Gaza as it aims to undermine efforts to calm down.
The factions said in a statement that the resistance wings in the joint operations room salute the Egyptian effort to achieve the demands of the Palestinian people, and rejects what it described as irresponsible attempts that try to characterize the compass and sabotage the Egyptian effort, including the recent rocket fire.
The rocket attack did not involve any Palestinian, but it is likely that a small faction not involved in the truce is behind it.
Palestinian sources confirmed to the island that the director of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel canceled his visit was scheduled to the Palestinian territories on Thursday.
In the meantime, an Egyptian security delegation left Gaza today evening for Cairo through the Beit Hanoun crossing after a 24-hour visit to complete the talks of calm and reconciliation.
In response to developments, UN envoy to the Middle East Nikolai Mladenov described the launch of two missiles from Gaza as a dangerous escalation and provocation, and called for a 48-hour truce to allow for efforts to prevent escalation.
The EU also condemned what it called an unacceptable attack on civilians, in reference to a rocket attack on Beersheba.