The Israeli security cabinet, who convened on Sunday, rejected proposals to return to the policy of assassinating Palestinian leaders in the Gaza Strip, local media reported yesterday.

A proposal to return to the assassination policy was put forward by Rabbi Rafi Peretz, the head Jewish Home Party.

Israeli TV Channel 12 reported that several ministers from cabinet rejected the proposal.

The cabinet meeting lasted more than five hours and the ministers discussed the tension in the south and how this could be brought to an end.

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Some ministers proposed carrying out a wide offensive against Gaza and some proposed facilitating the economic restrictions imposed on the besieged enclave.

Israeli TV Channel 11 reported that the cabinet did not reach a decision to carry out an offensive on Gaza because they believed that Hamas does not want to escalate the situation.

The cabinet, the channel reported, did not adopt the assassination policy because it could not predict the outcomes.

Meanwhile, the head of the Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) party Benny Gantz, who was the chief of staff during the Israeli offensive on Gaza in 2014, said that if he becomes prime minister, he would carry out a wide offensive in Gaza.

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