OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AFP)
Israel blamed Hamas on Thursday for an explosion of violence in the Gaza Strip and said it would "settle the score" with the Islamist group at a time of its choice.
"We will settle the score with Hamas which bears sole responsibility for what happened in the Gaza Strip," deputy defense minister Matan Vilnai told army radio.
"We will choose the time and the place."
Gaza militants on Wednesday breached the border with Israel under cover of mortar fire, killing two Israeli contractors working at the Nahal Oz terminal that provides Gaza with its fuel supplies, and moved into Israel.
In all, seven Palestinians were killed in a day of violence that started with an early morning firefight that left an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian gunman dead.
Islamic Jihad and two smaller militant groups claimed they carried out the Nahal Oz attack but the Israeli government insists Hamas is ultimately responsible because it controls Gaza, where it violently ousted troops loyal to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in June.
Vilnai made it clear Israel would not cut off fuel supplies to the Palestinian territory, which is under an Israeli blockade that allows in only vital supplies.
"We cannot afford to provoke a humanitarian crisis," said Vilnai. "We will supply enough fuel to ensure the vital minimum for the Palestinian population." |
