Hamas welcomed the collapse of PM Netanyahu’s coalition and hailed it as a sign of the terrorist group’s “victory” over Israel.

"The collapse of the Israeli coalition is another example of our victory and of Netanyahu’s defeat in Gaza," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. The statement was made hours after Netanyahu fired Finance Minister Yair Lapid as well as Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, effectively disbanding the government. Approximately two hours after he fired Lapid and Livni, Netanyahu held a press conference in which he officially launched his election campaign, telling voters who wanted a strong government to vote Likud, noting that the formation of the government was determined "because the party under my leadership, the Likud, didn't get enough mandates, so there were in the government contrasting angles." In addition to Hamas, another comment on Netanyahu's decision to disband the Knesset came from the US, where Secretary of State John Kerry said that whatever government will be formed, he hoped it would be able to "negotiate and move towards resolving differences between Israelis and Palestinians." (Israel National News)