[News] 3rd day of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza - Hamas does not call for war, but won't tolerate Israeli incursions into Gaza

[Anti-Imperialist News]

  3rd day of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza 
  http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=771412

  ______________________________________________________________________________

*Hamas does not call for war, but won't tolerate Israeli incursions into 
Gaza*


May 6, 2016 http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=771418


GAZA (Ma'an) -- Deputy head of Hamas’ politburo Ismail Haniyeh said on 
Friday that while the movement is not calling for a new war in the Gaza 
Strip, it will not tolerate incursions by Israel or accept a buffer zone.

Haniyeh said during Friday prayers at the Abu Salim mosque in the 
central Gaza Strip district of Deir al-Balah that Israel’s recent 
incursions into the border areas in search of tunnels are responsible 
for the latest escalation of violence in the besieged coastal enclave.

“We do not call for a new war, but we will not allow these incursions or 
for new realities to be imposed on our people in Gaza. We call for 
lifting the siege. Enough of this historical injustice suffered by 2 
million of our people."

Israeli military incursions inside the besieged Gaza Strip and near the 
“buffer zone” have long been a near-daily occurrence, marked by Israeli 
bulldozers leveling lands inside Gaza territory while accompanied by 
Israeli military vehicles.

Haniyeh said incursions inside Gaza territory are a grave violation of 
the Egypt-sponsored ceasefire reached in the summer of 2014.

Haniyah highlighted that the efforts underway by Egypt, Qatar, UN envoy 
Nikolay Mladenov, and Turkey to curb the aggression in the Gaza Strip.

"I hope that statements by the PA (Palestinian Authority) regarding 
limiting relations with the (Israeli) occupation are implemented on the 
ground, and that security coordination with occupation must be stopped,” 
Haniyeh added.

The PA has repeatedly threatened to put an end to the security 
coordination with Israel over the years. However, Palestinian President 
Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his commitment to security coordination with 
Israel in an interview in March, arguing that it was a major factor in 
curbing Palestinian attacks against Israeli targets.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s (PFLP) military wing 
also released a statement Friday regarding the recent Israeli 
hostilities, saying it “will not stand idly by while Israel continues 
its crimes against Palestinian people.”

“We affirm that this escalation by the (Israeli) occupation in Gaza is 
an attempt to test the patience of resistance. [...] They have two 
choices: either to die or leave our lands.”

Israeli airstrikes continued Friday morning for third consecutive day, 
in response to alleged mortar rounds being fired by Hamas and other 
Palestinian resistance groups on Israeli army targets.

Israeli shelling east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip 
reportedly killed a Palestinian woman on Wednesday.

The Israeli army accused Palestinian resistance groups of launching 
mortar attacks in an attempt to disrupt the army’s “operational 
activity” in search for Hamas-built tunnels leading into Israel.

Israeli outlet Haaretz quoted Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon as 
saying: "We will not be deterred by these threats by Hamas and will 
continue operations in light of the violation of our sovereignty, until 
we find and expose every last tunnel."

One such tunnel was allegedly discovered Thursday, the second of its 
kind to be uncovered since Israel’s devastating 2014 offensive on the 
Gaza Strip.

The Gaza Strip has been under a severe economic blockade imposed by 
Israel for decade. The blockade was imposed following the victory of 
Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian elections and the subsequent 2007 clashes 
between Fatah and Hamas, which left Hamas in control of the Gaze Strip 
and Fatah in control of the occupied West Bank.

-- 
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