IDF soldiers discover a terror tunnel in Gaza last July. Photo: IDF

On Monday, Israel marked the first anniversary of Operation Protective Edge – last year’s offensive against Hamas’ rocket fire and terrorist activity.

A memorial ceremony was held at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem and was attended by President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the crowd, saying “Hamas has suffered the hardest strike it has experienced since its creation. And to our enemies I say: Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and even ISIS – if you try to hurt Israel, there will be blood.”

President Rivilin spoke about the morality of Protective Edge in his remarks. “This was a moral operation, a just one, fitting of a sovereign state called upon to defend its citizens,” he said.

“In the weeks leading up to the operation, each day dozens of rockets were fired at the residents of the South, and the towns on the front-line. Children, women, the elderly, and men, were subjected to waves of shock, and the screeching threat of death. [And there were] terror tunnels dug underneath kindergartens and cafes, in clearly civilian areas, with the aim of murdering people who simply sought to sow their field, plant an orchard, to build a home,” said Rivlin.

Now, a year after the conclusion of Operation Protective Edge, the Israeli south is again experiencing trickling rocket fire on civilians and cities. With reports from Gaza indicating that terror tunnels are being rebuilt and with little to no international pressure on Hamas, many residents suspect that a future confrontation is likely.