Netanyahu: Gaza’s Rulers to Receive ‘Surprise of Their Lives’ Unless Attacks Stop

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has threatened Hamas leaders with “the surprise of their lives” amid increasingly frequent attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip. Over the past two weeks, projectiles have been fired on a near-daily basis from the Palestinian enclave toward Israel, while terror groups have renewed the cross-border launching of balloon-borne explosives into the Jewish state. “I’m telling you as prime minister: I don’t rush to war, I don’t puff out my chest, bang drums and blow trumpets, but we’re preparing for Hamas the surprise of their lives,” Netanyahu said in a television interview Tuesday night. The warning came just days after Defense Minister Naftali Bennet warned that top Hamas officials could be targeted for assassination, saying that “lethal action [would be taken] against them” unless they ceased their “irresponsible behavior.” Despite intermittent flareups, Israel and Hamas have not fought a full-scale war since 2014 and international mediators have for well over a year been attempting to forge a long-term cease-fire between the sides. However, the truce talks have reportedly stalled and analysts believe that Hamas may be upping the ante in order to pressure Israel into making concessions – foremost among them, easing restrictions on the entry of goods into the blockaded Palestinian territory.