Israeli PM threatens military action against Hamas

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday threatened strong action against Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

According to a statement by his office, the decision came in consultation with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Chief-of-Staff Gadi Eiznkot and heads of the security services.

It added: “Israeli army had dealt Hamas the hardest blow since Operation Protective Edge (2014) and we will increase the strength of our attacks as necessary.”

Earlier today, Israeli warplanes carried out a fresh wave of airstrikes across the blockaded Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinian children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The warplanes targeted an under-construction building in al-Katiba neighborhood in Gaza, the ministry said.

Amir al-Nimra, 15, and Luey Kuheyl ,14, were confirmed dead and 14 others were wounded in the airstrikes, it added.

According to an Israeli army statement, over 100 rockets were allegedly fired from Gaza to the Israeli side since morning.

Saturday’s attacks were the largest since 2014 when the Israeli army launched a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 2,000 Palestinians and injuring thousands.

Also, the Israeli army said it had destroyed two underground tunnels in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said in a written statement that Israel targets Palestinian children deliberately and had killed two Palestinian children.

Tension has been running high across the Gaza Strip amid protests demanding an end to the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and lifting an 11-year blockade, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its roughly 2 million inhabitants of basic commodities.

Since the protests began in March, more than 130 people have been killed – and thousands more injured – by Israeli army fire.

*Muhammad Majid contributed to this report from Gaza