Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon vowed on Tuesday to make Hamas “pay a heavy price” for the kidnapping of teenagers Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaar, and Naftali Fraenkel.

The Times of Israel reported on the defense minister’s comments:

“Hamas in Judea and Samaria will pay a heavy price for the kidnapping,” Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Tuesday night, using a historical name for the West Bank. “We will get our hands on the kidnappers, and know how to get to the Hamas heads, any time, any place.” …

“We don’t intend to compromise the security of Israeli citizens, and will act with determination, responsibly and judiciously,” he said.

Ya’alon’s sentiments were echoed by Gen. Nitzan Alon, head of the IDF’s Central Command, who said, “The Hamas leaders feel the blow and get the message. They will emerge from this campaign weakened on an operational and strategic level.”

“It’s time to call in the reserves, turn every stone in Judea and Samaria, and crush Hamas,” MK Shaul Mofaz, a former Army chief of staff, told Ynet.

The IDF has reported on its latest efforts to uproot Hamas’s terror infrastructure in the West Bank and cataloged the arsenal it uncovered in the process.

Since the kidnapping of the three teens last week, evidence has suggested that Hamas was responsible. Assessments by Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the United States have reached the same conclusion. The Prime Minister of the Palestinian unity government, Rami Hamdallah, acknowledged last week that the PA is “not in control” and unable to fulfill its obligation to disarm Hamas.

[Photo: Israel Defense Forces / Flickr ]