Netanyahu to Hamas: ‘Don’t test us! We’ll strike back even harder’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas of a harsh military response should it continue to launch rockets and mortars at Israel’s southern border.

“One thing is clear. When they test us, they pay an immediate price,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday afternoon. “It they continue to try us, they will pay an even harsher price,” Netanyahu said.

He spoke hours into what appeared to be a cease-fire that brought a sudden halt to Hamas rocket fire against Israel and IDF retaliatory strikes against Gaza. It was the worst exchange of fire since the 2014 Gaza war.

“The IDF has reacted strongly, since yesterday, to the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip by attacking dozens of terrorist targets. It’s the harshest blow we have dealt them in years,” Netanyahu said.

He charged that Iran had inspired Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza to attack Israel.

“Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations are responsible for the escalation,” Netanyahu said. “I don’t intend to provide details of our plans, because I do not want the enemy to know what is in store for him.”

“I offer strength the IDF fighters and all the security forces as well as praise for the resilience of the residents of the south,” Netanyahu said.

From Tuesday morning and early into Wednesday, Hamas, fired some 180 Iranian-made, 120-millimeter mortar shells from the Gaza strip into Israel. The barrage included the more precise 107-millimeter rocket, which has a range of about ten kilometers into the communities in southern Israel.

In response, Israel struck 65 Hamas targets across the entire Gaza Strip, including a dual-purpose tunnel dug one kilometer into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and then 900 meters into Israeli territory.

The sudden halt to the rocket fire Wednesday gave rise to speculation of an Egypt-brokered cease fire. The cabinet is expected to meet Wednesday evening to discuss the latest round of violence.

Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.