Hamas
“In the last rounds of confrontations, if 62 people were martyred, 50 were Hamas and 12 from the people. How can Hamas reap the fruits if it pays such an expensive price?” posed Hamas official Salah Bardawil.
Israel summoned the Turkish consul general in Jerusalem and informed him that he was expelled, following Turkey’s expulsion of the Israeli consul general from Ankara.
“I ask my colleagues here in the Security Council: Who among us would accept this type of activity on your border?” posed U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley. “No one would. No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman met with leaders of the White House Faith Counsel Initiative the day after the celebratory opening of the new American embassy in Jerusalem.
Hamas coordinated riots to coincide with the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, ordering the closure of schools and businesses, and providing free transportation for all those willing to join the riot on the border.
“Hamas’s conduct is confrontational. They’re seeking to provoke the Israeli Defense Forces,” said Australian premier Malcolm Turnbull.
The escalating tensions along the Israel-Gaza border, which have led to the largest number of Palestinian deaths since the 2014 “Operation Protective Edge,” is not a show of strength by Hamas, but a desperate move by a terror organization with dwindling options.
“Billions of dollars [have been] invested in the Gaza Strip. [The] result is all this money goes to Hamas leaders, rockets and to tunnels instead of creating greenhouses and factories,” said former IDF Southern Commander Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant.
“Over 35,000 Palestinians are currently taking part in violent riots along the security fence. The rioters are hurling firebombs & explosive devices, burning tires, throwing rocks & attempting to ignite fires in Israeli territory,” the IDF Spokesperson Unit said in a statement on Twitter.
Palestinian terrorists have been flying burning kites loaded with fuel into Israel in the attempt to start large brush fires at the start of Israel’s dry summer season.
Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center names three senior Hamas figures as war criminals, says Hamas should be made to answer in International Criminal Court • Case based on Rome Statute clause stating recruiting children under 15 to militant groups is war crime.
“The IDF and Shin Bet will continue to act decisively against all terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria, and against terrorist operatives who will be in contact with Hamas terrorist operatives in the Gaza Strip,” according to a statement released by the IDF.
