The tragic end to the kidnapping of the three Israeli teenagers should also spell the end for Hamas, Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud Beytenu) said Monday evening.
“This tragic end should also be the end of Hamas!” Danon said, hours after the bodies of Gilad Sha’ar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrah were found.
“The nation is strong and ready to absorb in order to allow an operation that will deala fatal blow to Hamas,” he added. “We must stop terror and we should destroy the homes of Hamas activists, destroy their ammunition depots and stop any money that is used directly and indirectly to maintaining the flame of terrorism. We must discourage any organization that will even think about kidnapping an Israeli citizen or about threatening Israel.”
Danon continued, “This crossed a red line and Israel must extract a heavy price from the entire Palestinian leadership and destroy Hamas. I want to send my condolences to the families who acted heroically.”
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier released an official response to the murder of the three teens, expressing grief and vowing revenge.
“They were murdered in cold blood by human animals,” he said. “In the name of the entire Jewish people, I want to say to the dear families – mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, sisters and brothers – our hearts are bleeding. We are crying with you.”
“We will bring the boys home to be buried in Israel,” he continued.
“Revenge over the blood of a small child is not the devil’s work, and neither is revenge for the blood of a teenager or young man – who was on his way to meet his parents – and whom was never seen again,” he added. “Hamas is responsible. Hamas will pay.”
Danon’s statement came just hours after he called on Netanyahu to take immediate action against the families of the terrorists who abducted the three teenagers by bulldozing their homes.
Speaking at the Likud faction meeting, Danon said to Netanyahu: “In last week’s meeting, you announced the demolition of the home of Ziyad Awad, the terrorist who murdered Col. Baruch Mizrahi z”l, but the High Court has not yet decided on the matter.”
“Time has critical meaning in the creation of deterrence,” he continued. “It is time to send bulldozers to the homes of the terrorists involved in the abduction of the three boys.”
