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Netanyahu Tells Kerry That ‘Hamas Will Pay’ For Kidnapping IDF Soldier As Gaza Erupts
The soldier’s abduction could change the course of the war in the hours and days ahead, with Israel either slowing its offensive to negotiate his return or surging forward.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.” Zechariah 12:2
GAZA CITY — Less than three hours after a three-day humanitarian cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect Friday, the truce broke down when clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters erupted and militants fired rockets into Israel.
Gaza militants captured an Israeli soldier in southern Gaza Strip just as the cease-fire was falling apart, said a senior Israeli military spokesman. Hamas officials issued conflicting statements on the incident. Officials in Gaza neither confirmed nor denied the kidnapping. But a top Hamas official in Cairo said the soldier was captured before the truce and that two Israeli soldiers were killed around the same time.
“The cease-fire is over,” said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a senior spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces. Ground operations will continue, he said, “and our aircraft are in the sky as we speak.”
The soldier’s abduction could change the course of the war in the hours and days ahead, with Israel either slowing its offensive to negotiate his return or surging forward.

Army in ‘race against time’ to retrieve Givati Brigade officer Hadar Goldin, seized by Hamas in attack that saw 2 soldiers killed, breached ceasefire
By late Friday morning, Israel was heavily bombarding areas in southern Gaza, especially the border town of Rafah, near where the kidnapping occurred, according to Palestinian Health Ministry officials and local news reports. At least 27 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 injured, the ministry said.
