TIL Desk/World/Jerusalem/ Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday threatened to inflict “very strong blows” on Hamas after fresh violence along the border with the Gaza Strip controlled by the Islamist group. “Hamas has apparently not understood the message — if these attacks do not stop, they will be stopped in another way, in the form of very, very strong blows”, Netanyahu said during the weekly cabinet meeting.
“We are very close to another type of action which would include very strong blows. If Hamas is intelligent, it will cease fire and violence now”, he added. Israel on Friday suspended fuel deliveries to the Gaza Strip, after fresh protests along the border that saw seven Palestinians killed by Israeli troops.
The suspension came days after fuel supplies had begun running to the enclave, in a fresh bid to ease an Israeli blockade that has lasted more than 10 years. A UN-brokered deal had seen Qatar, a longtime Hamas backer, pledge to pay USD 60 million (52 million euros) for fuel to be brought into Gaza over six months to supply the strip’s sole power plant.
