Jeh Johnson, the former secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said Friday that he thinks the Palestinian militant group Hamas is counting on Israel to “overreact” in its counteroffensive attacks.
“Hamas is counting on Israel to overreact, cause civilian casualties, cause the death of innocent Palestinians and cause the Arab world to pull back from Israel despite the fact that they’ve been on a course of normalization now in the region,” Johnson said on CNN.
In the interview with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, Johnson said on a per capita basis, Saturday’s surprise attack by Hamas on Israel was larger than 9/11 and dubbed Hamas a terrorist organization as bad as ISIS and Al Qaeda.
“They are counting on Israel to overreact. They’re not interested in the safety of Palestinians,” Johnson said. “They’re more interested in seeing Israelis overreact and causing the death of innocent civilians.”
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war against Hamas and has held firm in the stance that Israel will avenge the attacks. In a speech Sunday, Netanyahu vowed to forcefully destroy Hamas using all of the military’s strength, warning that the war would be long and difficult.
In a message Friday, Israel ordered 1 million people in Gaza City and southward to evacuate their homes ahead of a possible ground operation. Panic reportedly spread amongst civilians after the territory was already dealing with Israeli airstrikes and a blackout.
Johnson is cautious of the Israel Defense Force’s counteroffensive and supposed confidence, saying, “they’re walking a tightrope right now.”
Since fighting began, more than 2,800 people on both sides have been killed. About 150 people have been taken into Gaza by militants as hostages and Israel has stopped supplies from entering Gaza until the hostages are freed.