Lieberman insists Israel does not want war with Gaza

Avigdor Lieberman insists that political and military circles in Israel want to avoid any confrontation with the Gaza Strip because of the “high cost” of such an escalation. “Israel has no desire to fight a new war or battle,” the defence minister said in remarks broadcast by Israel’s Channel 2.

“It is impossible to have a military confrontation every two years” he added, insisting that Israel also has no interest in reoccupying the Gaza Strip. Lieberman has threatened to destroy the entire infrastructure in the besieged territory in any future confrontation.

Read: The humanitarian situation of the Gaza Strip in 2016

The right-wing minister’s comments on Gaza come at a time when internal reports by the Israeli army and the General Intelligence Service have recommended preparations for a possible military escalation with Gaza in light of the deteriorating living and humanitarian conditions in the enclave. According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the security services estimate that the internal situation in Gaza is “on the brink of explosion” because of the hardship people are suffering due to the Israeli-led siege supported by Egypt, and the pressure exerted by the Palestinian Authority on Hamas.

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“The Gulf crisis is another reason for the possibility of escalation in the sector where the severing of relations with Qatar will affect the economic support provided by Doha to Gaza,” the newspaper concluded.