Rivlin on border: We want peace as Gazans do

President Reuven Rivlin says Israel is not interested in a wider conflict with Hamas, during a visit to the Gaza frontier region.

“Just as the other side wants to live in peace, so do we. But in the same breath, we are ready for any animosity toward us,” Rivlin said while meeting with troops near the border, according to Walla news.

The visit comes two days after Israel carried out a larger than normal bombardment of Hamas sites in Gaza following a rocket attack. Officials on both sides have since telegraphed that they do not seek to widen the fighting.

Rivlin visited the area earlier in the day but journalists were asked for security reasons to keep his visit under wraps until he left the area, as is often done with high-level visits to the restive region.