By Rami Almagheiri and Linda Gradstein, The Media Line
Gaza City, Gaza Strip — The 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza are bracing for Israeli retaliation after the bodies of three Israeli teenagers, who had been kidnapped on June 12, were found in the West Bank. Two operatives from the Islamist Hamas movement disappeared soon after the kidnapping and Israeli officials say they have no doubt that Hamas is responsible.
“Our position is clear — we have vehemently denied any linkage with the missing “settlers,”” Farraj Alghoul, a member of parliament for Hamas in Gaza told The Media Line, mistakenly calling the teenagers “settlers” because they studied in a Jewish religious institution in the West Bank. “We stick to our right to defend our people and land from any upcoming Israeli attacks. The Zionist occupation’s aggression has never stopped and every day there is a violation.”
Alghoul said he expected that Israel will retaliate against Hamas, even though it was not responsible for the abduction.
“We take the Zionist occupation’s threats seriously,” he said. “But the occupation tried two major attacks and they failed.”
He was referring to two Israeli incursions into Gaza in early 2009 and 2012 to stop rocket fire on southern Israel. In the past two weeks, since the Israeli teenagers were kidnapped, there has been an increase in rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, and Israel has responded with air strikes.
Hassan Abdo, a Gaza-based political writer, said he expected more Israeli air strikes in the coming days. But he said Palestinians in Gaza have grown accustomed to the Israeli strikes and they will not have a major effect.
“I believe that Israel will engage in pinpoint attacks against the Palestinian resistance,” Abdo said. “I also believe that Israeli threats against Gaza should be seen within Israel’s stereotypical rhetoric against Gaza.”
Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman called for a “defensive shield” attack against Gaza, referring to Israel’s 2002 large-scale incursion into the West Bank after a series of suicide bombings killed dozens of Israelis.
In Israel, the three teenagers were buried next to each other in an emotional funeral attended by thousands.
“Rest in peace, my son. We’ll learn to sing without you. We’ll always hear your voice inside,” Rachel Frenkel, the mother of 16-year-old Naftali Frenkel said.
She also thanked the Israeli army, which searched day and night for the teenagers.
“Dear soldiers, intelligence personnel and police, we still thank you very, very much. You promised you would find and bring them back. And you brought them back. That is a great kindness, too,” she said. “From the very first day, we said to ourselves that even if it ends badly, God gave us an abundance of blessings, wonderful young men, children with noble souls, a large and empowering community.”
Soon after the kidnapping, one of the teens managed to place a call to the police, whispering, “I’ve been kidnapped.” The police thought it was a prank and did not initiate a search. Four policemen involved have been suspended. At the funeral, Ofir Shaar, Gil-Ad’s father spoke tearfully.
“From the moment I heard your brave whisper, I heard a powerful voice and I felt proud,” referencing to the call his son made to the police emergency hotline. “Such resourcefulness, bravery, and strength of someone under the age of 17.”
New details began to emerge about the kidnapping that has riveted Israel for the past two weeks. Based on the autopsy, Israeli security officials said they believe the three were killed very soon after being captured. They said it was not clear if the kidnappers meant to try to trade the three teenagers for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, or if the intention had been to kill them from the beginning. It was also published that at the end of the recording of Shaar’s phone call with the police, shots are heard.
Israel named Marwan Qawasmeh and Amar Abu Aisha, both members of Hamas, as the primary suspects. The two disappeared from the West Bank town of Hebron within hours after the kidnapping, and have still not been found.
Qawasmeh is a member of a large clan in Hebron affiliated with Hamas, but also has a history of operating independently. Israeli officials said that even if the abduction was not authorized by the Hamas leadership, Hamas is responsible.
“From our perspective, it’s a distinction without a difference,” Jonathan Schachter, a senior advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu, told The Media Line. “Hamas is Hamas and they are responsible for the attack.”
He said Israel would respond, but would not give details.
“The cabinet met last night to discuss this issue and will meet again today,” he said. “We continue to hunt for those responsible for the kidnapping and murder in the West Bank. Separately, we’ve been dealing with rocket attacks coming from Gaza as well.”
Representatives of Israelis who live in areas that Israel acquired in 1967 called for a harsh Israeli response.
“Hamas must be dealt a fatal blow,” Dani Dayan, a leader of the Yesha council said in a statement. “In its quest to eradicate Israel, Hamas has three main objectives: To take over Palestinian leadership, to release terrorists from Israeli jails, and to uproot the Jewish people from our ancestral homeland. In retaliation, we should target Hamas leaders, re-incarcerate the Hamas terrorists released in the Schalit deal, and establish new communities throughout the land of Israel.”
Palestinians in Gaza seem resigned to the expected Israeli attack.
“Any Israeli attack on the territory will not leave a major impact as we in Gaza got used to these attacks,” said Salah Alamasy, a trader of building materials. “Israeli attacks on us are sometimes part of Israel’s propaganda against Gaza. Israel tries to perpetuate the Israeli siege of the territory in a way that separates Gaza from the West Bank.”