Major General Eyal Zamir, head of the Israel Defense Forces' Southern Command, warned Hamas on Sunday, "We have great power, and alongside the desire to maintain stability in the region and to avoid escalation, we will not hesitate to use it as necessary and according to the assessment of the situation."
He spoke at a ceremony for the changing of commanders in the Sinai Armor Division at the Tze'elim base. Responding to the wounding of four soldiers on Saturday afternoon, he said, "The attack on IDF soldiers near the fence is a serious terrorist incident, further proof of the use by Hamas and other terrorist organizations of disturbances in the border fence as a cover for terror."