Jerusalem, April 10: Israel today vowed to respond “most harshly” if Gaza-based militant outfits continued to fire rocket and mortar shells in its southern territories, as an informal ceasefire between the two sides appeared in sight following the death of 19 Palestinians in Israeli pounding of the coastal Strip.
“The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) hit Hamas and the terrorist organisations hard over the weekend,” Israel’s hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting today in Jerusalem.
“If attacks against Israeli civilians and the IDF continue, the response will be most harsh,” he asserted.
The Israeli Premier was backed by by deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Ellie Yishai, who called on the cabinet to agree to taking “less routine” and more “stronger” action against the Gaza Strip, to curb the onslaught of rockets.
-Agencies