Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg
Meretz leader Tamar ZandbergTPS

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman slammed the Hamas terror group on Sunday for abandoning its citizens in Gaza in favor of violent confrontations with Israel.

Liberman's remarks come after least 30,000 people took part in Friday’s mass demonstration on the Gaza-Israel border, leading to 17 Gazans dead. Israel says that 10 of the 17 killed were Hamas terrorists.

"According to the lowest estimates, this march cost Hamas $15 million - how much medicine could it have bought with this money?" asked Liberman during an interview with the Reshet Bet radio station.

Liberman also ruled out establishing an independent commission to probe the IDF after Friday's events, a demand made by Meretz head Tamar Zandberg and the UN Secretary General. "We are not going to cooperate with any investigative commission," vowed Liberman. "Let them establish a commission of inquiry into what is going on in Syria."

Liberman singled out Zandberg for special criticism over her allegation that the IDF was "trigger happy" in dealing with the Gaza rioters.

"I'm sorry that Israeli citizens are joining the calls for an investigative commision. The Meretz party has stopped representing Israel's interests for a while already - they represent the Palestinians in the Knesset," Liberman said.

Zandberg had raised hackles after she demanded that the IDF be investigated for the deaths of the 17 Gazans during Friday's riots. “It’s Israel’s duty to know what happened there, and it’s also in its interest [to know] to prevent another round of violence. We must not allow a ‘trigger-happy’ policy to lead to the loss of innocent lives," tweeted Zandberg.

Hamas terrorists killed in border riot
Hamas terrorists killed in border riotPrime Minister's Office