Amid an escalating situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed regret for the accidental killing of four Palestinian civilians in their Gaza home by Israeli tank fire. In a statement, Netanyahu emphasized that the shooting had been in response to fire by Hamas at Israeli citizens. "It is unfortunate that Hamas continues to rain down dozens of rockets on Israeli civilians intentionally using civilians as shields. Israel has no intention of bringing about a deterioration of the situation, but at the same the IDF will continue to act decisively to protect Israeli citizens," he declared.
Later on Tuesday evening, three gunmen from the al-Quds Brigades - the armed wing of Islamic Jihad - were killed in an Israeli airstrike. The Israel Defense Forces said it had struck terrorists on their way to launch rockets at Israel. The IDF identified them as the same men who had launched a Grad-style rocket on Beersheba last month. Some 13 other Palestinians, including children, also were injured in Tuesday afternoon's strike, which came after four Kassam rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel, according to reports. Israeli troops fired in the direction of Palestinians who had launched mortars at them, accidentally hitting the home, reports said.
A Kassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck Ashkelon shortly afterwards, and on Wednesday morning another missile struck the city of Beersheba, wounding one person.
Meanwhile, Israel's Deputy Premier Silvan Shalom (Likud) has said that Israel might have to launch a new military offensive against the Gaza Strip, following days of rocket and mortar shell fire on the western Negev. "We may have to consider a return to that operation," Shalom said on 'Israel Radio' referring to the Operation Cast Lead two years ago. "I say this despite the fact that I know such a thing would, of course, bring the region to a far more combustible situation." If the rocket fire continued, Israel would have to embark on a wide-scale operation to topple the Hamas regime, targeting its leaders and commanders rather than just tunnels and open areas, he said. Culture Minister Limor Livnat echoed Shalom's remarks.
