Yair Farjoun
Yair FarjounFlash 90

In an exclusive Arutz Sheva interview on Thursday, Hof Ashkelon Regional Council chairman Yair Farjoun said that his region, which has been battered by rockets from the terror enclave of Gaza, cannot continue under the current status quo.

"Out of 160 rockets, 60 fell in our territory - that's a serious blitz," Farjoun commented about the renewed rocket barrage, which began with a breach of the ceasefire on Tuesday around 4 p.m.

The chairman continued "it's incredible to see how people live here by sheer miracles; beside a direct hit on a synagogue, rockets have landed just 200 meters (650 feet) from buildings of the Regional Council. There was a full day of very intensive fire."

The Hof Ashkelon chairman told Arutz Sheva that residents of his Regional Council will not be able to hold on for many months under the current situation of constant rocket fire, interspersed by temporary lulls broken by renewed rocket salvos.

"We must not enter a state of attrition that could stretch into September and October, because they will continue to produce rockets and in this way hold an entire population captive," said Farjoun.

Regarding the future of Operation Protective Edge, Farjoun remarked "if there will be an order for the army to keep on going and pulverize Hamas until militarily subduing them, we'll be able to last another month, but if not and it goes on three months, the residents will not be able to survive."

The call for decisive action raised by Farjoun was heard last Thursday in Tel Aviv, where 10,000 Israelis, including residents of the area surrounding Gaza, called for the government to finish the job in Gaza.

Farjoun praised the IDF for the pre-dawn airstrike Thursday morning that took out three senior Hamas "military wing" Al-Qassam Brigades commanders Mohammed Abu Shamalah, Raed al-Attar and Mohammed Barhum.

"The fact that they succeeded in eliminating those worthy of death is encouraging, it's what must be done. The government needs to order an operative program to crush Hamas's military ability," appraised Farjoun.