SI | STOP-Imperialism.com

Ashraf Shannon
Press TV, Gaza

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man in southern Gaza and attacked a Hamas security post just one day after holding the largest military exercise near the Gaza Strip since the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza.

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers including the navy, air force, and ground units took part in the four day drills that ended Wednesday morning.

Israeli regime forces carried out small scale maneuvers near the besieged enclave over the past five years to simulate war scenarios with Palestinian resistance factions.

In May Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza fired hundreds of homemade rockets towards the Israeli regime in retaliation to an Israeli military aggression against the impoverished enclave that killed and injured scores of Palestinians. 

Rights groups accuse the Israeli regime of committing war crimes against the Palestinian in Gaza by deliberately targeting civilians.

Since assuming office in January, Israeli Military Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi has made preparing his forces for Gaza fighting a top priority, with an emphasis on ramping up the Israeli military’s lethal force.

Experts say the warmongering rhetoric by Israeli officials coupled with the maneuvers is not likely to lead to a major war in light of the upcoming Israeli elections.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been avoiding a major war with Gaza.

Tel-Aviv has been trying to raise the readiness of its forces to confront the growing weapons capabilities of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad since the end of the 2014 war.

Experts say a new Israeli war on the impoverished enclave will not be a cake walk for Israeli soldiers.

Since the 2014 war Palestinian resistance factions have managed to domestically produce and improve their rocket capabilities.