United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nicklay Mladenov warned Gaza terrorists on Sunday — presumably the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group — not to continue their campaign of threats and incitement.
? The reckless actions and statements of militants in risk a dangerous escalation. have embarked on a course to solve the humaniatarian crisis in the Strip and bring back the legitimate authorities. They should not be distracted by extemists.
— Nickolay E. MLADENOV (@nmladenov)
It is believed Mladenov was referring to a statement by PIJ on Sunday, saying it considers Israeli threats to be a “declaration of war,” and that it has a “right to respond” to the recent destruction by the IDF of a terrorist tunnel discovered within Israeli territory near a Jewish community last month. The tunnel had not yet been completed and an opening had not yet been built.
At least a dozen terrorists were killed in the explosion when the tunnel was destroyed in a planned detonation. Some of the bodies were removed from the tunnel on the Gaza side of the border, but a number were also removed by the IDF on the Israeli side, and held by Israel.
On Saturday night, IDF Major-General Yoav Mordechai warned the PIJ leadership based in Damascus that Israel is poised to respond to any aggression, with “force and determination.”