Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened on Wednesday to deal a “lethal” blow to the Gaza Strip if Palestinian factions there resume attacks against Israel.
"Maybe there is someone in Gaza who thinks he can stick his head up; I suggest that they understand that the response will be lethal and very painful," Netanyahu said.
"We are ready for any scenario and escalation," he said at a military exercise in southern Israel, quoted by his office.
Weeks of relative calm in the Gaza Strip ended Tuesday when Israeli soldiers came under fire along the border with Gaza in two separate incidents.
An officer was lightly wounded when a bullet hit his helmet.
Israeli tanks in response struck two Hamas positions in Gaza, killing a fighter, while overnight Israeli warplanes struck what the army said was a Hamas military camp in northern Gaza.
Netanyahu blocked $15 million of Qatari aid that was expected to be transferred to Gaza, and told Israeli soldiers he would respond with force to any further hostilities.
