Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz speaks during an election campaign rally in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Corinna Kern

i24 News – Following another escalation on Israel’s southern border, Defense Minister Benny Gantz issued on Friday a stern warning to the two main Palestinian terrorist factions in the Gaza Strip, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

“To our enemies, and specifically to the leadership of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, I would like to emphasize: your time is up. The threat you pose to this region will be removed one way or another,” Gantz said as he visited the Gaza border for a situational assessment.

Israel shut the goods and people crossings along its frontier with Gaza on Tuesday, citing fears of reprisals following the arrest of two senior Islamic Jihad members in the West Bank.

The military also imposed restrictions of movement on Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

“This situation where several terrorists (some of whom do not even live in Gaza), hold the Gazan people hostage will backfire,” Gantz added.