TEL AVIV, October 19. /TASS/. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned Hamas about a tough response if the group violates the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"Hamas will pay a heavy price for any shooting and violation of the ceasefire, and if the message is not understood, the intensity of the responses will increase," The Times of Israel quoted him as saying.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said earlier in the day that that the Israeli military had delivered a strike near the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip in retaliation of fire opened by radicals. Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with the top brass. He accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire and ordered to take strong measures against radicals in Gaza.

According to Katz, he instructed the IDF to "act forcefully against Hamas terror targets in Gaza." "Hamas will learn today the hard way that the IDF is determined to protect its soldiers and to prevent any harm to them," he vowed.