Israel threats Gaza and observers rule out war between the two sides
RAMALLAH, Palestine (North Press) – The Israeli army ended on Sunday, its readiness of the Gaza Division for expectations of escalation and war, in light of the renewal tension to the borders of the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, Benny Gantz, the Israeli Defense Minister warned the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, led by Hamas, that Israel will raise the price it charges from it as long as it continues to violate its sovereignty.
“Israel prepared operational plans to protect its citizens in the south, while Hamas and other movements will feel these plans soon,” Gantz said during the weekly Israeli cabinet meeting.
Gantz’s comments came after a factory was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade launched from the Gaza Strip two nights ago, in southern Ashkelon, causing material damage.
Hamas puts pressure on Qatar
Muhammad Masalha, a politician, ruled out, to North Press, that escalation would spiral into confrontation or open war.
He pointed out that Hamas’s goal of the escalation is to pressure Qatar to continue paying financial aid to Gaza, increasing its amount, and improving living conditions.
According to unconfirmed reports coming from Gaza, Qatar refused to pledge to Hamas about the amount of the monthly financial aid that it will transfer next year.
The current aid provided is about seventeen million dollars a month, while Hamas is calling for an increase in the amount to reach thirty million.
Observers in Gaza said that if Qatar did not respond to Hamas’s demand, it would escalate the security situation on the southern front until the end of this year, in order for Israel to put pressure on Doha.
Preventing entry of medical materials
Hamas complained that Israel is preventing the entry of medical equipment and supplies into the Gaza Strip to counter coronavirus, and warned of serious repercussions for this.
About 680 new cases of coronavirus were recorded on Sunday, in the Gaza Strip, and the total number of infected cases reached about 5,500.
In a statement, Abdel Nasser Subuh, the director of the World Health Organization Center in Gaza, warned that if the increase in the number of infections continues, the health system in the area will not last for more than two weeks.
Israel fears that the epidemiological situation in Gaza and its repercussions may constitute another factor for the escalation of the situation on the southern front.