|
Related Article |
|
China
ready to recognize Palestinian State
Chinese
Deputy Foreign Minister Zhia Jun stressed that China is prepared
to renew its recognition of a Palestinian state if the UN Security
Council or the United Nations pass such a resolution.
»
|
Gaza: Hamas' armed wing
said Saturday it was "stronger than before" and warned Israel
against launching any new military action in the Gaza Strip, where
it said Israel was attempting to escalate the situation.
"If the occupation (Israel) wants to examine our reaction, it will
be met with a harsh response," al-Qassam Brigades Spokesman Abu
Obeida told a news conference in Gaza. "We therefore advise the
enemy not to commit this stupidity."
His comments came two years after Israel launched a devastating
three-week offensive on Gaza, which it said was aimed at
preventing the Islamist organisation from launching rockets at
Israeli towns and villages.
Around 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in what
became known as the Gaza War.
Rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza have increased recently, as
have Israeli airstrikes on the Strip, leading to fears that
another round of fighting in Gaza is in the offing.
"We are now stronger than before and during the war, and our
silence over the past two years was only for evaluating the
situation," Abu Obeida said. "We won't face the current attempts
of the enemy to escalate the situation with silence."
Hamas seized full control of the coastal enclave in June 2007,
after routing security forces loyal to Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party.
Israel considers the enclave a "hostile entity" and imposes a
tight blockade on the territory.
Abu Obeida said that the news conference was being held to mark
the second anniversary of the war, which began Dec 27, 2008, and
the 23rd anniversary of the founding of Hamas.
"Over the past 23 years, 1,808 Hamas militants have been killed,
and we carried out 1,115 military attacks against the Zionist
occupation. 58 percent of the martyrs were killed after Hamas
triumphed in the legislative elections in 2006," he said.
He said that the group first began its military operations with
stones and empty bottles, then knives, before going on to make use
of (suicide) bombers and rockets.
"We now have an arsenal of missiles and rockets. We began
manufacturing our own arms and we developed our abilities in
extremely difficult and complicated conditions," he said.
Over the past decade Hamas has fired 3,506 rockets and 7,475
mortars at Israeli targets, according to Abu Obeida.
|
Comments
|
Quick links