Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Wednesday that a long-term ceasefire agreement with Hamas is dependent on the return of Israelis long held in captivity in Gaza.
Israel has long said it can proceed with the peace arrangement efforts only if it makes headway in efforts to recover the bodies of IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin - whose bodies were kidnapped by Hamas during the 2014 Gaza war, as well as Avera Mangistau and Hisham al-Saeed - two civilians who slipped separately into the enclave.
"The conditions for a long-term arrangement with Hamas are the return of the boys to their homes, and a commitment to total calm in the south of the country," Gantz said during a briefing held with foreign envoys regarding the security situation in Israel.
The defense minister made the comments amid increased tensions on the Gaza border in recent days. Palestinian terror groups in the enclave have resumed incendiary balloon attacks and violent border riots, the latest of which is set to be staged later in the day.
During a violent protest in Gaza on Saturday, an Israeli Border Police officer was shot and seriously woulded. Israel said it will respond harshly to any violent incident near the border fence during Wednesday's protest.
Gantz also addressed the situation in Iran, saying he does not rule out that Israel would have to act alone in the future against the Islamic Republic to stop it from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"Iran is two months away from accumulating the material needed for a nuclear bomb," he said. "We do not know whether the regime is ready to reach a [nuclear] agreement and return to the negotiating table, but the world must prepare 'Plan B' and halt its progress right now."
He also accused Iran of launching a deadly drone strike on an oil tanker last month from its territory.
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Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman
(Photo: AP)
The Mercer Street, an oil tanker that was sailing in the Arabian Sea off Oman, was struck by a drone aircraft on July 29. The attack killed two, a British national and a Romanian. The tanker is managed by a firm owned by an Israeli billionaire.
"Our assessment is that the UAV employed in the Mercer Street attack was launched from Iranian territory and approved by Iranian leadership," Gantz said.