WarSclerotic

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Wednesday of a stronger military response to any resumption of rocket attacks, after Hamas said it would cease fire if Israel did the same.

Speaking at an IDF memorial ceremony on Wednesday, Netanyahu said, “Those responsible for the escalation, inspired by Iran, are the Hamas regime, the Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist organizations. I am not detailing our plans because I do not want the enemy to know what lies in store for it. But one thing is clear to them: When they test us, they pay immediately and if they continue to test us, they will pay far more.”

“Since yesterday, the IDF has strongly retaliated against the firing from the Gaza Strip and has hit dozens of terrorist targets in the severest blow we have landed on them in years.”

Netanyahu also voiced his support for IDF fighters and security forces and praised the resilience of residents of Israel’s south.

The Israel-Gaza border fell quiet under the de facto cease-fire after the most intense flare-up of hostilities between Palestinian terrorists and Israel since a 2014 war.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists fired dozens of rockets and mortar bombs at southern Israel throughout Tuesday and overnight. Israel responded with tank and airstrikes on more than 50 targets in the coastal enclave.

There were no reports of further attacks after Hamas announced the cease-fire on Wednesday. Israel signaled it would halt its strikes if the rocket barrages stopped.

Israel stopped short of declaring any formal cease-fire with Hamas and Islamic Jihad but said any resumption of attacks would bring a stronger military response.

Diplomatic-Security Cabinet members convened on Wednesday to receive an update on the IAF strikes and learn of the extensive damage to a number of strategic Hamas sites.

As one senior diplomatic official told the ministers, “We bombed the crap out of Hamas.”

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said that, had the mortar shell that landed near a kindergarten in Eshkol Regional Council on Wednesday morning struck an Israeli child, “it could have led to war.”

She said, “The response must be very strong, as blood was spilled here. All the options are on the table, including the conquest of the [Gaza] strip.”

Environmental Protection Minister Zeev Klein said, “Someone in Gaza is testing us, and I think the defense minister [Avigdor Lieberman] and the IDF are expected to make a significant decision for a very harsh response. We need to respond here in a very painful manner and maintain the equation for deterrence.”

As part of Israel’s public diplomacy efforts, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely met with British Minister of State for the Middle East Alistair Burt to discuss the rocket barrage on Israel, necessary changes to the Iran nuclear deal following the U.S. withdrawal from the accord and bilateral economic ties between the two countries following the Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Hotovely thanked Burt for his commitment to Israel’s security and condemnation of the rocket attacks.

She called on the international community to join Burt in his condemnation of Hamas’ attack on kindergartens and innocent civilians.

Hotovely said the Hamas regime was not interested in rebuilding Gaza or improving the lives of residents there. “It uses the funds invested in the strip to build a system of terror tunnels aimed at harming Israel. We do not want to see what is happening in Gaza happen in Judea and Samaria,” she said.

“We expect the international community to understand Israel’s right to defend itself, in a reality in which Israeli communities are located 2 kilometers [1.2 miles] from the border.”