The Palestinian terror group Hamas warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday against any military “adventure” in the Gaza Strip ahead of Israeli elections next month, as tensions spiraled along the restive frontier with Israel.
Netanyahu is currently battling for re-election for a fifth term, facing a tough challenge from a centrist political alliance as well as a planned indictment on corruption charges.
Asked about a potential Israeli military operation, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh told journalists: “If the (Israeli) occupation or Netanyahu think of an adventure, I think they will pay the price that will send them away.”
“We do not fear any adventures from Netanyahu towards Gaza… The resistance has its eyes open,” added Haniyeh.
Haniyeh’s comments came amid a recent increase in the level of violence along the Gaza border, with near nightly Palestinian riots and a return of airborne arson attacks, which had waned in light of a de facto ceasefire in November.
On Monday, Israeli attack helicopters hit two Hamas positions in southern Gaza in response to an explosive device that was carried into Israel by balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave, the army said.
It was Israel’s fourth retaliatory airstrike against the terror group in the past three days.
It came after a bunch of balloons carrying explosives came down between two buildings in the Eshkol Regional Council, the council said in a statement. The bomb exploded, but caused neither injuries nor damage. Two more balloons with explosives blew up in the air over Israeli territory later in the day as Palestinians rioted near the border, the army said.
Netanyahu and his chief challenger Benny Gantz have attacked each other over their records in Gaza. Gantz was the head of the Israeli military during the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza.
Many analysts believe Netanyahu wants to avoid an escalation in Gaza with unpredictable results ahead of April 9 polls.
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