Israeli mayors urge Netanyahu to deal with Gaza ‘terrorism’

Israeli mayors urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to deal with “terrorism” from the occupied Gaza Strip, reported The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu was meeting Sunday with the heads of local authorities in southern Israel, in order to hear their concerns about the launching of projectiles and incendiary balloons from Gaza.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu updated the regional council heads on the latest developments related to Gaza and said we are prepared for all scenarios, including a wide-scale operation”, said a statement from the prime minister’s office.

In a joint statement, the mayors of Israeli communities located close to the Gaza Strip demanded from the government a “change of policy vis-a-vis terror groups in Gaza”.

READ: Israeli jets strike Gaza after rocket fire

“In the past two years we have been experiencing a war that we can no longer ignore. In the past month alone, we have absorbed dozens of rockets and at the same time, the balloon terrorism from the Strip has grown more serious and more dangerous”, the statement added.

The Times of Israel noted that Netanyahu recently “cautioned that a military campaign [in Gaza] could be launched before the election”, similar to a warning he issued in September ahead of the last election.

In response to the launch of two projectiles on Saturday night from Gaza, both of which hit open fields causing no injuries, the Israeli military conducted airstrikes on a number of positions, and also tightened aspects of the ongoing blockade which had been recently eased.