The IDF's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, took to COGAT's Arabic-language Facebook page on Friday to assail the leader of the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziad Nakhalah.
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Alian made his remarks in response to an interview Nakhalah granted to Lebanese news outlet Al-Mayadeen TV, in which the terrorist leader criticized residents of the Gaza Strip who registered to receive work permits in Israel.
"How easy to judge the residents of Gaza," Alian wrote alongside an attached cartoon depicting Nakhala on a plane – an allegory for the many flights around the globe he has taken – asking permit seekers: "Why do you choose to make living?"
Earlier last week, as stated, Nakhala spoke with Al-Mayadeen TV, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, and decried the increased number of Gazans entering Israel. According to the PIJ leader, this and other economic measures were being implemented to paralyze the "resistance" against Israel.
Nakhala also claimed in the interview that Gaza-based terrorist groups had rehabilitated their military capabilities since Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, adding that these groups were manufacturing drones in the coastal enclave.
"Israel treats Gaza like a bomb that needs to be disarmed and the new relief measures are part of this framework," Nakhala said. "The activities of the resistance are ongoing and are not tied to a timeframe or limited to Gaza," he added.
Nakhala also indirectly addressed the terrorist attack in Jerusalem that claimed the life of Eliyahu Kay, and the attempts to carry out terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria.
"The enemy will not respond to every [terrorist attack] by attacking Gaza, because he understands that military action in the Strip will lead to a strong and direct response. [Israel] failed to tame Gaza through war, and is now trying to do so through economic relief," he said.
One commenter from Gaza said on Alian's Facebook post that the residents of the coastal enclave haven't forgotten what happened two weeks ago to a group of Gazan youths whose boat sunk in the Aegean Sea near Greece. The commenter said that eight out of the 11 labor migrants from Gaza were miraculously rescued and that the Palestinian Authority and Hamas regime were unable to provide Palestinian youngsters with job opportunities.
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