Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said any future war between Israel and Hamas militants would be the last in the Gaza Strip as it “will completely destroy them [Hamas]”, Independent reported. The Jewish state's minister made these statements during an interview with al-Quds, a Jerusalem-based Palestinian daily.

Israel's defence minister said, “In Gaza, like the Iranians, they intend to eliminate the state of Israel... If they impose the next war on Israel, it will be their last, because we will completely destroy them.“ He said Israel would lift its blockade on Gaza and build a port and airport in the region if "Hamas stops digging tunnels, rearming and firing rockets," according to Haaretz.

Lieberman said it was the duty of all Palestinians to discourage the Hamas from achieving its goal of destroying Israel and “stop your crazy policies”. He said, “As minister of defence, I would like to clarify that we have no intention of starting a new war against our neighbours in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, Lebanon or Syria.”

His comments drew sharp criticism from Palestinians and supporters of Hamas who they referred to as a “murderer”. Liberman also criticised the Palestinian Authority's President Mahmoud Abbas for doing little in the two-state solution negotiations.

The Gaza Strip, located between Israel and Egypt, has been a bone of contention in the Israel-Palestinian conflict for years. Fundamentalist-led organisation Hamas gained control over the disputed strip in 2006 during the local polls. Since then, the disputing parties have clashed four times. Local elections in Gaza and West Bank have been postponed on account of disagreements between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.