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War with Gaza could happen ‘at any moment,’ says Netanyahu

A war with Gaza terrorists could even take place in the “days before the elections,” the prime minister warned.

By World Israel News Staff 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Friday that a war with Gazan terrorists could break out even before Israelis go the polls on Tuesday to vote for a new government.

“An operation in Gaza could happen at any moment, including four days before the elections. The date of the elections does not factor [into a decision to go to war].”

Rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip have continued.

On Tuesday night, Netanyahu was forced off the stage at an election campaign rally in the southern port city of Ashdod when a siren sounded and his security detail demanded that he take cover.

The rocket fired at Ashdod and another on the same night headed for the coastal city of Ashkelon were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.

On other occasions, hundreds of rockets have been fired on Israel from Gaza, claiming Israeli lives.

Israel has been striking back at terror targets but has avoided getting engulfed in a full conflict since 2014.

Netanyahu’s comments on Friday morning followed his talks in Sochi with Russian President Vladimir Putin which centered around the issue of hostile Iranian activity against Israel. The Islamic Republic has been boosting its assistance to Hamas, the terror group which controls the Gaza Strip.

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On Thursday, Netanyahu told Israeli Kan public radio: “There probably won’t be a choice but to launch an operation, a war with the terror forces in Gaza.”