Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned Hamas that Israel will continue to operate against the terrorism stemming from the Gaza Strip, apparently confirming that no official ceasefire agreement had been reached with the terrorist group.
“We are in the midst of a campaign against terror in Gaza. It entails an exchange of blows; it will not end in one strike. Our demand is clear – a complete ceasefire. We will not suffice with less than this,” said Netanyahu.
Speaking at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, the prime minister added said Israel wouldn’t rest until security was restored in full for the residents of southern Israel.
“As of now, we have destroyed hundreds of Hamas military targets, and in each round the IDF exacts an additional heavy price. I will not reveal our operational plans here; they are ready,” Netanyahu said. “Our objective is to restore the quiet to residents of the south and the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip. This goal will be achieved in full.”
Senior Israel officials maintain the country has not agreed to the ceasefire which Hamas announced late Thursday and said went into effect at midnight. Hamas claims the deal was mediated by Egypt and other regional players.
The apparent truce came after two days of spiraling violence that saw the heaviest exchanges of fire between Israel and the Gaza terrorist organization since 2014’s Operation Protective Edge.
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said earlier on Sunday that Israel could overthrow Hamas, as a report indicated that Israel was mulling assassinating the leaders of the terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip.
“Toppling Hamas is an option, and we are closer to it than ever,” the Likud minister told the Kan public broadcaster.
Steinitz, a member of the high-level security cabinet, also maintained that Israel has not signed a ceasefire with the terrorist group.
“The last round [of fighting] severely harmed the production of missiles and drones. We as a [security] cabinet should see the general picture – we have not signed a truce agreement and we are keeping our cards close to our chest,” he said.
Steinitz also addressed criticism that Israel had capitulated by allowing the apparent ceasefire to go into effect without demanding full security for the residents of communities surrounding the enclave, and the return of the bodies of soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, killed during the 2014 Gaza war, and the two civilians Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are also believed to be held in the Strip.
“We do not have to go to war every time they hit us,” Steinitz said. “Sometimes we will embark on military campaigns, or forceful responses.”
Steinitz’s comments came as the Haaretz daily reported on Sunday that Israel has formulated a plan to assassinate members of the senior Hamas leadership, but is waiting to see the outcome of the Egypt and UN-brokered negotiations before implementing it.
Defense sources told the newspaper that it is believed that assassinations are preferable to a wide-scale ground offensive in Gaza, while acknowledging that targeted killings could lead to the start of a military campaign.
Sources also told the paper that the Israeli defense establishment hopes to delay any broad conflict until at least the end of 2019, when construction of a technological above- and below-ground barrier along the Gaza borderwill be completed.
Senior Israeli officials have said that “quiet will be met by quiet,” implying that the country is not seeking an escalation of violence, but has not openly committed to an end to hostilities. Instead, military officials hope the terror group has internalized the damage Israel can cause to its infrastructure.
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