Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to strike the already-besieged Gaza Strip regardless of the country’s upcoming general election.

Speaking yesterday as he embarked on a two-day visit to Ukraine, Netanyahu said:

“I heard comments that I am refraining from a large campaign [in Gaza] because of the elections. This is not correct. Everyone who knows me knows that my considerations are matter-of fact and real, that I act [in] full cooperation with the security forces, with assertiveness and responsibility.”

Heading to Ukraine, @Netanyahu says military operation in #Gaza possible, even during height of election season https://t.co/nLIaRKpJhn via @timesofisrael

— Raphael Ahren (@RaphaelAhren) August 18, 2019

“If it is required, we will embark on a large campaign […] with elections or without elections,” Netanyahu stressed.

This comes after Israel this weekend killed three Palestinians near the Gaza fence, firing at them with an Israeli army helicopter and tank. There were also reports of an Israeli attack on an observation post used by Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.

Gaza escalation: Israeli military fires at armed Palestinian group near border https://t.co/E22kuAEiJU

— Berto Jongman (@BertoJongman100) August 17, 2019

Hamas spokesman Fazi Barhoum said on Saturday that “the Israeli strike is a message of escalation and aggression against the Gaza Strip”, claiming the strike is an attempt to divert attention from the occupied West Bank, where an Israeli settler was killed last week.  “Resistance forces in Gaza will not let the Strip become an Israeli target for settling accounts,” Barhoum added.