Jerusalem, April 02: The Israeli deputy prime minister has warned that Tel Aviv would soon launch another large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip.
Silvan Shalom made the remarks on Friday after Israel carried out a series of airstrikes, injuring three Palestinian children, aged two, four and 11.
The deputy premier said that the new offensive will be launched in the near future.
He added that the military attack is a response to rocket fire from Gaza. Tel Aviv holds Hamas responsible for the rocket raids.
The rocket attacks by Palestinian groups came after the worst Palestinian-Israeli clashes over the reopening of the Hurva synagogue in East Jerusalem (al-Quds)
The Israeli move also led to demonstrations in several Muslim nations.
Hamas Political Chief Khalid Mashaal, in a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said his resistance movement is "not interested in escalating the tension."
He also promised that his organization would take "appropriate measures to prevent the rocket fire from Gaza."
In 2008, Israel launched a large offensive against the coastal strip that killed some 1,400 Palestinians.
--------Agencies
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