The Israeli-Hamas conflict escalated on 10 May, with thousands of rockets launched from the territory of Gaza, and with israel reciprocating with aerial strikes against Hamas targets. The sides announced on Thursday that they had accepted an Egyptian initiative for an unconditional ceasefire, which came into force on 21 May.
An israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman, Jonathan Conricus, claimed that Iran has played a crucial role in recent hostilities between Israel and Hamas, saying that they would not have been possible “without Iranian knowledge, funding, expertise and hands on involvement on the ground.”
Conricus alleged that “Iranians are the number one exporters of instability and terror and death and destruction” in the region, calling for what he said is “accountability.”
The Israeli army spokesman noted that the IDF is determined to counteract the activity “both in terms of the locations where they produce the weapons, the rockets and also in terms of the key personnel, the terrorists, the engineers that are behind all of these rockets that have been fired throughout Israel.”
On 15 May, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Maj. Gen. Hossein Baqeri, noted that Israeli “atrocities” toward Palestinians in Jerusalem and other “occupied territories,” have only provoked increased Palestinian resistance.
Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters preceding the…
