Palestinian man looks at the ruins of a Hamas police station destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, 20 November 2012. PHOTO: EPA
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“As minister of defence, I would like to clarify that we have no intention of starting a new war against our neighbours in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, Lebanon or Syria,” defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said, while adding that ordinary Palestinians must urge Hamas to “stop its crazy policies”.
“In Gaza, like the Iranians, they intend to eliminate the state of Israel...If they impose the next war on Israel, it will be their last. I would like to emphasise again, it will be their last confrontation because we will completely destroy them,“ he said.
A senior defence ministry official said Wednesday that the next round of fighting in the Gaza Strip against the Hamas terror group was inevitable, because Hamas is gearing up for it. “A war of attrition is not an option. The next confrontation must be the last in terms of Hamas’s regime,” the senior official, who insisted on anonymity, told reporters at a briefing.
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Israel has arguably been involved in a war of attrition against Hamas for years, with each side slowly grinding away at the other. Defence Minister Liberman has frequently criticised the government in recent years for failing to smash Hamas, and repeatedly called for more aggressive measures to be used. With strict border control and occasional large-scale operations, Israel works to deplete Hamas’s supply of weapons and fighters.
The comments have sparked outrage on Palestinian social media platforms, particularly among those supportive of Hamas, with critics sending messages blasting the “media normalisation” of Israeli policy in the decision to interview Lieberman, whom some dubbed a “murderer”
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Israel previously launched operations in Gaza in December 2008 and November 2012. The official stressed that Israel does not seek another war, but says “Hamas is a growing threat. Their goal is destroying the State of Israel.”
This article originally appeared on The Independent.
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