Update from MFA
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem updates the current situation…
July 26
1. Israel respected the UN-requested humanitarian cease-fire today (26 July) from 08:00-20:00 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm Israel time).
Israel was ready to prolong the cease-fire, but a few minutes after 20:00, Hamas already renewed firing at Israeli civilians. Heavy barrages of rockets continue to be fired at Israel’s cities.
2. Israel tried to achieve its goals diplomatically, accepting the Egyptian cease-fire proposal that Hamas rejected.
Israel appreciates Secretary of State Kerry’s ongoing diplomatic efforts and will continue working closely with him.
3. The IDF is prepared to expand its operations until Israel’s security needs are met: providing the peace and quiet that Israel’s citizens deserve while significantly damaging the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas and the other terrorist groups in Gaza.
4. Israel’s ground operation has recorded significant achievements: dozens of tunnels, some leading from Gaza into Israeli territory, have been discovered and destroyed.
The ground operation is critical because the tunnels cannot be destroyed using air power alone. Not taking this action would have left Israel’s citizens exposed to the danger of additional terrorist infiltrations from Gaza.
5. The fact that Hamas is ready to sacrifice its own children should not be exploited as a moral pretext to prevent Israel from protecting its children and from exerting its legitimate right for self-defense. Hamas is a murderous terrorist organization that is deliberately firing on Israeli civilians, and when Israel responds, cynically uses Palestinian civilians as human shields.
Hamas is the enemy of the Palestinians: it takes aid money intended for their benefit and instead of building kindergartens in Gaza, uses it to dig tunnels for attacking kindergartens in Israel.
Hamas is responsible of the destruction of homes in Gaza by booby-trapping them and using them as rocket-launching locations, firing positions for snipers, weapon caches as well as using their cellars as entrances to the terror tunnels.
6. In contrast to Hamas’ contempt for civilian life, Israel regrets any civilian casualties and is making every effort to protect its citizens and to avoid civilian casualties among Gaza’s residents.
7. The international community must act to demilitarize Gaza and take a strong moral stand that differentiates between a murderous terrorist organization and a democratic state defending itself.
8. Hamas resembles other extremist Islamist terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda, Hizbullah, ISIS, Boko Haram and the Nusra Front.
