JNS.org – Speaking at an event marking the one-year anniversary of Operation Pillar of Defense, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that there has been a 98-percent drop in rocket fire from the Gaza Strip since the Israel Defense Forces’ operation that came in response to a barrage of Palestinian rockets.

“There is no doubt that significant deterrence has been achieved,” Netanyahu told soldiers from the Gaza Division of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Hayom reported.

But Israel still knows that “Hamas and the other terrorist organizations are continuing to arm themselves in various ways,” said the prime minister.

“They are also trying to develop the underground track, i.e. tunnels, and it is incumbent upon us to find a response to all of these threats and, at the same time, continue the strong deterrence that we have achieved and which we are maintaining,” Netanyahu said.