A Palestinian Hamas terrorist shot an Israeli soldier on Wednesday while he was repairing a border fence near the Gaza Strip. The IDF member was seriously injured and was evacuated to a hospital and his family notified.
Earlier last week, a rocket was fired from Gaza by a global jihadist and landed in an agricultural field. The rocket incident, as well as yesterday’s shooting, sparked air strikes and tank fire from Israeli armed forces. It seems global jihadists in Gaza, as well as Hamas proper, are intent on starting another conflict with Israel. The Palestinians have always wanted to keep the conflict going instead of finding a way to make peace.
The Jerusalem Post reported today, “Hamas media reported that a Hamas field commander, Tayseer Asmairi, was killed by the IDF fire and several people were injured. Hamas warned Israel that it was ‘playing with fire,’ calling the incident ‘a grave escalation.’ The Hamas statement added that ‘The occupation is fully responsible for all of the consequences of the escalation. The resistance has a right to defend itself and its people.'”
The Israeli Defense Minister, speaking at an event said, “’Hamas is responsible, and we demand that it ensures that not even a single rocket is fired from the Gaza Strip. If a rocket is fired, we will respond accordingly….I hope that Hamas is interested in quiet and not escalation. The fact is that Hamas is deterred. This comes up clearly, since this time, too, Hamas arrested those who fired the rocket… the question is how long will this last, and I hope for as long a period as possible.’”
Hamas is currently using the cease fire to no doubt rebuild tunnels and other offensive capabilities that were destroyed by Israeli Defense Forces in the last overt shooting conflict, ending several months ago. Israel has to be cognizant daily for murder raids into Israel through these tunnels as well as rocket attacks and lone wolf terrorism in its cities.
During all of this Middle Eastern turmoil, the Obama administration considers sanctioning our strongest and most loyal ally in the region. This defies all logic and comprehension, unless you are a Hamas supporter. America should be ashamed of our leadership for this position. Have we forgotten what it is like to fight for our freedom and safety? I fear we may soon have to relearn these lessons.