Israeli public opinion is divided over whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should launch a new offensive against Hamas in Gaza.<br /><br />Following the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, Netanyahu called for “revenge” and promptly carried out air strikes in Gaza.<br /><br />Israel blames Hamas for the killing of the three teens, although Hamas has not claimed responsibility.<br /><br />Some Israeli ministers have called for a mass bombardment campaign and invasion and reoccupation of the Gaza Strip. The political left as well as some parts of the military and secret service argue it’s not a good idea to engage now in a full-scale confrontation.<br /><br />Euronews spoke to some Israelis at Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate to see what they thought.<br /><br />One man said: “I feel that Hamas should definitely be taken down as much as possible. They are a terrorist group and they want our destruction. At the same time, there are a lot of sensitivities here, and we don’t want to harm any Arab citizens, we don’t want to give the Arab population in general more reason to hate us”. <br /><br />Another added:“All the Arabs need to suffer because of what they did, like they do to the Jews. One Arab dies everyone suffers, I think it should be the same thing after they kill three Jews, three kids, they came and killed them without any mercy.”<br /><br />There are fears that a heavy-handed response from Israel will result in a third Palestinian intifada.<br /><br />Euronews’ correspondent in Jerusalem said: “The reticence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a massive attack against Hamas in Gaza is seen as a sign of weakness by parts of Israeli society. They say being cautious won’t stop the missiles and rockets fired from the Gaza Strip to Israel”
