‘Exceptional Success’: Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu hails Gaza bombardment

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the bombardment of Palestinian militants in Gaza as an “exceptional success” on Friday, AFP reported. This statement by the Israeli PM  came after a ceasefire to end the deadly conflict took effect.

Israel and the Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, agreed to a ceasefire on Thursday ending the 11-day conflict. The decision came after heavy US pressure to halt the offensive.

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“We achieved our goals in the operation,” Netanyahu said, describing the campaign against Hamas and Islamic Jihad as “an exceptional success.”

PM Netanyahu’s office – announcing the ceasefire – said that the security cabinet had “unanimously accepted the recommendations to accept an Egyptian initiative for an unconditional… ceasefire.”

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Hamas and Islamic Jihad then confirmed the ceasefire in a statement, saying it would come into force at 2:00 AM IST on Friday.

Since the start of the fighting on May 10, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes that according to the government were solely targeting Hamas’ infrastructure, including a vast tunnel network.