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Itongadol.- Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at the opening of Sunday\’s cabinet meeting that Operation Protective Edge, now in its sixth day, could “take time,” and Israel was prepared to continue the campaign.
“We are hitting Hamas with continuing and greater strength,” he said. “Hamas is using Gaza\’s civilians as human shields.”
Netanyahu said that Hamas was hiding in mosques, putting arms storehouses in hospitals, and placing their command centers near kindergartens. They are bringing a disaster to Gaza\’s citizens, he said, adding that Hamas is responsible for harm befalling the civilian population there.
The difference between Hamas and Israel, he said, was that while Israel was using anti-rocket batteries to protect Israeli citizens, Hamas is using Gaza\’s citizens to defend their rockets.
"Israel is conducting a vigorous military campaign against Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu began. "Hamas has chosen to attack our cities with massive and indiscriminate rocket fire."
"I said from the outset that we would respond in strength against this criminal firing at our citizens and this is what we are doing," he continued. "We are striking Hamas with increasing strength.
We are hitting commanders, militants, arsenals and command centers. The IDF, ISA, security services, firefighters, the Israel Police – everyone is doing their part and doing it in the best way possible."
Netanyahu stressed that it is Hamas, not Israel, who endangers civilian lives.
"But one must understand how our enemy operates," he said. "Who hides in mosques? Hamas. Who puts arsenals under hospitals? Hamas. Who puts command centers in residences or near kindergartens? Hamas."
"Hamas is using the residents of Gaza as human shields and it is bringing disaster to the civilians of Gaza; therefore, for any attack on Gaza civilians, which we regret, Hamas and its partners bear sole responsibility," he declared. "The leadership of Hamas and the other organizations has chosen – at a time when they are using the population of Gaza as human shields – to hide under ground, to flee abroad and to deliberately put civilians in the line of fire."
"This is the entire difference between us and Hamas – we are using defensive systems against missiles to protect the residents of Israel and they are using the residents of Gaza to protect arsenals of missiles," he continued. "Nothing better underscores the difference in this campaign. Israel is a democracy that is fighting – in a legitimate and focused manner – against unbridled terrorists and no country in the world would do any less than we are doing to protect our citizens."