An Israeli security cabinet minister said Thursday that there would be another military campaign in Gaza, following the latest exchange of rocket fire between Israel and Hamas militants, VOA news reports.
“We will decide the timing, and we will decide the conditions,” Yoav Galant, minister of construction, told Israel’s Reshet 13 television. “I will not play into Hamas’ hands when it is the one that wants to do this [escalation].”
Israel said it struck several Hamas targets in Gaza, including what it said was a terrorist tunnel, in response to Hamas rocket fire late Wednesday. Another rocket was launched into southern Israel late Thursday.
Neither side reported casualties.
The Hamas rocket fire was an apparent response to Israel’s putting Mediterranean waters off-limits to Palestinian fishermen — a reaction to the sending of incendiary balloons over southern Israel this week, which set some fields on fire.
This was the first exchange of rocket fire between Israel and Hamas since last month’s Egyptian-mediated cease-fire that ended two days of heavy fighting.