Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) spoke to Radio 103 about Tuesday night's rocket attacks, which disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis.
"The true heroes this morning are the residents of Israel's south, who continue their daily routines despite the barrage of rockets being fired at their heads," Katz said. "The local leaders are doing their jobs unusually well, and serving as semi-military commanders for security issues. the entire public should embrace them, support them, and appreciate their determination."
"The IDF knows how to do its job, it has very organized goals which were set in countless cabinet meetings. However, there is no Israeli-initiated plan to enter Gaza and bring down Hamas, despite all of the rumors in the media. Our policy is clear, and the targets hit are quality targets.
"Hamas and Islamic Jihad know exactly which targets we're going to hit, and we recently destroyed a tunnel stretching from Gaza into the Sinai, and from the Sinai into Israel.
"We have a lot of information. Today, we know a lot more than we did prior to Operation Protective Edge. Our enemy does not need to know what we know, and they will be very surprised when targets are hit. The moment the peace is disturbed, we will have no reason not to attack. It could be that our strong response to last night's rocket fire was understood by the other side."
When asked whose interests an escalation in Gaza serves, Katz replied, "Iran is working in Syria, and also to increase Hamas' strength. The Prime Minister made it very clear that Israel opposes Iran's presence in all of Syria, without any connection to what happens in Israel's south. We are managing this issue militarily, and also via talks with Russia and the United States, and we are working to advance our policies."
The interviewer also said that she is "thinking about the IDF soldiers and the children in Gaza, who also had a difficult and stressful night."
"We worry about our children, but the other side does not worry about their children," Katz responded. "I am trying to separate the security and civilian issues as much as possible. I'll be clear: There is no suggestion that Israel act of its own initiative to bring down the Hamas government in Gaza."
"If such a suggestion would have come up, we would discuss it and its price. Since no such suggestion has come up, I suggest we not remain in the current situation. We need to respond to any activities against us, until we achieve a state of quiet."