Prime Minister Netanyahu has ordered Israel’s defense establishment to take “firm action against terror targets in the Gaza Strip” following an attack on IDF troops in Rafah on Sunday morning, his office said.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu issued the directive during a meeting with Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and the heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad, after Palestinian terrorists fired RPGs and sniper fire at Israeli soldiers operating in southern Gaza.

Katz said he had instructed the IDF to “act forcefully against Hamas terror targets in Gaza,” warning that “Hamas will learn today the hard way that the IDF is determined to protect its soldiers and to prevent any harm to them.”

The Defense Minister added that “Hamas will pay a heavy price for any shooting and violation of the ceasefire, and if the message is not understood, the intensity of the responses will increase.”

A military source said that more than 20 targets have been struck in Gaza since the Rafah attack. The IDF described the strikes as a response to direct fire on its troops and said operations in the area were continuing.

The Hamas terror group denied responsibility, asserting that its fighters in Rafah were acting independently. “We are committed to the ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said in a statement, claiming it had “no connection” to the incident and that communications with the Rafah area had been severed “since last March.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)