Visiting His Troops In The Gaza Strip, Israeli PM Naftali Bennett Says IDF Is Ready To Respond To Hamas Rocket Attacks
JAKARTA - The Israeli military (IDF) is ready to retaliate against Hamas when the time is right, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned, during a visit to the IDF's Gaza Division, Tuesday local time, a day after the Hamas rocket attack.
"We will act at a time, place and condition that suits us, and no one else. As far as we are concerned, Hamas is to blame, not the rebels or anyone other than Hamas," PM Bennett quoted The Jerusalem Post as saying Tuesday, August 17.
"Our mission is to bring long-term security to the inhabitants of the South and the Gaza Strip," added Naftali Bennett, who recently took office, noting that the IDF's Gaza Division was properly prepared.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel was determined to defend itself, and knew how to do it. According to him, Israel's only interest is peace, security and the return of our son, home, referring to civilian captives Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, as well as the bodies of IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who have been detained by Hamas since then. 2014.
The IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata, OC Southern Command Major General were also present at this meeting. Eliezer Toledano and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Region (COGAT) Major General. Ghassan Alyan.
Prime Minister Bennett and Minister Gantz also met with soldiers operating the Iron Dome battery, thanking them for their important contribution to Israel's security.
Minister Gantz said Israel would facilitate humanitarian aid funded by Qatar and others to the people of Gaza, as long as it would "reach the right places.
"We are not the enemy of the Gaza people. The real enemy is Hamas, which is holding Gazans hostage," Gantz said.
A source in Hamas claimed Qatari aid money worth more than 100,000 for families in Gaza, will be sent in the coming days, channeled through the United Nations.
However, a source close to Prime Minister Bennett said there had been progress in distributing funds to needy families in Gaza, but it had not been fully successful. In addition, the payment of salaries to employees of the Hamas-ruled government in Gaza remains at a standstill.
One of the reasons for the delay, the source said, was that Israel wanted to see a clear paper trail, to ensure that the money did not lead to terrorists.
"It will not be very easy, but we want to be able to trace what (Hamas) did with the money," said the source.
The source also said that by firing rockets at Israel and threatening war, Hamas was only delaying the process.
"I don't think it will change our behavior. When they try to fire, we have to figure out. how to respond. Every time they do that, they have to pay a price, and we can't move forward (by delivering aid to Gaza) immediately after that." it," he said.
"For (Hamas) aid is the most urgent thing. Our main focus right now is on the coronavirus. We cannot move at a racing pace on this issue. America, the UN and many others are also busy with Afghanistan and other things. ," he explained.
Separately in Ramallah, a Palestinian Authority official said Qatar and the United Nations had reached an agreement on disbursing funds for needy families.
"Palestinian authorities are aware of negotiations to find a solution to this problem. We have offered to transfer money through Palestinian banks," the official said.
The official added that the banks refused to cooperate for fear of being prosecuted on the basis of terrorism financing.
To note, the Palestinian Authority PA in recent months insisted any financial assistance to the Gaza Strip, must go through the government based in Ramallah, led by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
Meanwhile on Monday, Egypt rebuked Hamas after firing rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip said. "Egypt conveys a strong message to Hamas that they should give the mediators more time to reach a solution," they said.