Hamas Warns of Retaliation Against any ’Israeli’ Attack on Seized Gaza

Local Editor

Hamas warned that it would retaliate against any "Israeli" offensive on the seized Gaza Strip on Wednesday, after almost two weeks of nightly air strikes against the besieged coastal enclave.

In a rally in seized Gaza City on Wednesday, the deputy head of the Palestinian Legislative Council Ahmad Bahr said  that the messages sent by "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through the raids and threats reflected "confusion" among the "Israeli" leadership.

Bahr said in his speech that Palestinian resistance is "legitimate," adding that security coordination by the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas with the "Israeli" occupation is "treason" and in violation of the reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo in 2011.

"Israel" has blamed Hamas for the alleged kidnapping of three Zionists from a settlement in the occupied West Bank, and vowed to "crush" the movement. Hamas, however, has denied any responsibility.

However, he said that the "Israeli" army had succeeded in "deepening deterrence" and conveying a message that a "heavy toll will be paid for abduction of "Israelis."

He also said that "Israel" had no plans to curb the campaign during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins at the end of this week.

He said that the campaign would begin moving in a "different pattern" in the coming days, relying on information revealed through ongoing investigations and acting through sudden, ground operations.

Adraee admitted that Hamas could potentially succeed in negotiating some sort of prisoner swap deal in exchange for the three Zionists, but the "toll will be re-imprisonment of those who were freed as part of the Shalit deal."

He added, "Ramadan in 2014 seems to be different from that of 2013 when hundreds of thousands of worshipers from the West Bank were able to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque every Friday," he added.

Sources: News Agencies, Edited by website team