Hamas terrorists. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Gaza residents are prisoners of Hamas, a top IDF officer said during a visit to a high school in the southern border town of Sderot on Wednesday, the Hebrew news site Mako reported.

The previous day, dozens of mortars and rockets were fired into southern Israel from Gaza by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, prompting retaliatory IDF strikes on more than 50 terror targets in the Hamas-ruled Strip.

“Instead of taking care of the well-being of the people of Gaza, Hamas invests money in terror and exploits the population,” Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs told students, noting that Hamas is funded by Iran.

“We’re here, a strong army, we’ll continue to deter the enemy and thwart acts of terror so that you arrive safely at school and study,” Fuchs vowed. “I wear this uniform so that you can go to school — that is my mission every day.”