Israel May Face New Escalation of Conflict with Palestinians

Israel may be on the brink of a new escalation of conflict with the Palestinians, with a scenario that could resemble the events of spring 2021, when the Israeli military conducted Operation Guardian of the Walls in the Gaza Strip. This opinion was expressed on Tuesday by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

“Since assuming my position, I have participated in numerous security assessment meetings, and in all of these meetings I have attended, there has been a growing threat to Israel's national security. The main threat that lies ahead of us, and I hear this scenario from many sources, is ‘Guardian of the Walls – 2,’ it is just around the corner,” the minister stated, as quoted by the Seventh Channel portal.

According to Ben Gvir, “this is not just a premonition, we need to be prepared for this scenario.” In this regard, he emphasized the need to strengthen the Israeli police. For this purpose, his ministry plans to raise police salaries by 20-40 percent above the current salaries.

“In the next two years, we will recruit 4,000 new police officers,” the minister added.

The Israeli military's Operation Guardian of the Walls took place in the Gaza Strip from May 10 to May 21, 2021. During this entire period, radical groups operating in the Palestinian enclave and the Israeli military exchanged fire. According to Israeli military reports, at least 4,000 rockets were fired from the enclave toward Israeli cities, of which 90% were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, while in response, the military struck about 1,500 military targets in the enclave.