President Shimon Peres on Thursday morning 11 Adar II 5774, addressed the escalation in the south and stressed that the State of Israel will respond forcefully to any fire from Gaza, “Last night the IDF did what it had to do and targeted tens of sites in the Gaza Strip. The rocket fire was carried out by the Islamic Jihad but it is Hamas who are responsible. The Hamas leadership claims responsibility over Gaza, if that is the case then they are responsible for everything that happens there. Israel will not allow terrorists to fire at our civilians, under any circumstances. Hamas must decide how they want to live – fire will be answered with fire, quiet will be answered with quiet.”

President Peres praised the citizens of the south for their strength and wished them a Happy Purim, “The thoughts of every Israeli are with the citizens of the south who must once again be prepared to run from rocket fire. Their steadfast response fills us with pride. I want to in particular wish the children in the area around Gaza a Happy Purim, they deserve for it be quiet and filled with joy. Continue to be brave and good children, a source of dignity for the whole nation.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)