Politicians call for immediate response after Gaza rocket attack

IDF: Hamas is "responsible for everything that occurs in the territory."

By JPOST.COM STAFF, LAHAV HARKOV
A rocket is launched from the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel (photo credit: REUTERS)
A rocket is launched from the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel
(photo credit: REUTERS)
After reports of a Gazan rocket landing in the Gan Yavne region, east of Ashdod on Tuesday evening, shattering four weeks of relative quiet, politicians expressed their anger and called on the government to strike back.
Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev called for the government to respond to rocket fire on civilians.
"It's unfortunate that Hamas is trying to escalate the security situation in the south," she said.
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman said that "a government that is not prepared to put eliminating Hamas rule in Gaza in its guidelines and a prime minister and defense minister who proved that they're not prepared to do so [in Operation Protective Edge], even when the enemy is shooting rockets at almost the whole country and when it has international backing - such a government shows weakness and if it doesn't wake up, it should finish its term now, right as it started, for the good of Israeli citizens' security and the strength of the State of Israel."
MK Omer Bar-Lev (Zionist Union) called on the government to show that Hamas is fully responsible for any terrorism from Gaza, and make it pay a price.
"Unfortunately, we got another indication tonight that Netanyahu and Ya'alon's avoidance of standing strong along with the lack of a diplomatic initiative...will bring us to another round in the South soon," he said. 
Yesh Atid MK Haim Jellin also said that the IDF needed to respond.
"There needs to be a response from the IDF to the rocket fire from Gaza. There has to be a clear price tag according to which the policy towards Gaza is conducted," Jellin said.
"We must disarm the Gaza Strip in exchange for its rehabilitation, while the people there have nothing to lose. we here will continue to suffer," he added.
Jellin is a resident of the region bordering Gaza and is a former head of the Eshkol Regional Council.
An army source later said that the IDF "views Hamas as being responsible for everything that occurs in the territory of Gaza."