An outside observer would have concluded that Tuesday’s victory of the right has already influenced decision-making over at IDF headquarters, seeing as Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi overnight Friday retaliated like gangbusters for a volley of four rockets that were shot from the Gaza Strip, one of which was downed by the Iron Dome system and the rest fell inside the Strip.
תיעוד מתקיפת צה”ל בשטח רצועת עזה במהלך הלילה: pic.twitter.com/4iYREUuw49
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 4, 2022
About 20 tons of Air Force bombs were dropped in the retaliatory attack, including driller bombs that cut into fortified underground targets. The IDF Spokesperson said the was an underground military site in the center of the Gaza Strip, which is used as a Hamas rocket development and production complex.
תיעוד ממרכז הרצועה, לפי דיווחים פלסטינים מטוסים ישראלים תוקפים מספר יעדים בצפון ומרכז הרצועה. pic.twitter.com/0XyCcBOcb0
— Jack khoury.جاك خوري (@KhJacki) November 4, 2022
The military wing of Hamas stated that the planes attacked the terror group’s base at the entrance to the al-Marazzi refugee camp east of Deir al-Balah and that they responded with anti-aircraft fire.
The IDF Spokesperson said: “The terrorist organization Hamas is responsible for what is happening in the Gaza Strip and it will pay the price for security violations against Israel.”
The Gaza front has been silent for three months, since the IDF launched Operation Breaking Dawn which lasted three days, during which the Islamic Jihad launched 1,162 rockets toward Israel, of which about 200 fell inside the Gaza Strip, killing 15 Arabs, including children. About 400 rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome. According to the IDF, 35 Arabs were killed by the Israeli side, including 11 civilians.
Friday morning’s retaliation was the epitome of disproportionality and should have served as a severe message to Hamas and the other terror groups in the Gaza Strip, that even one violation of Israel’s territorial integrity would be met with fierce punishment.
This is what deterrence looks like.
