Haniyeh vows victory in war

The Hamas Premier has vowed a final victory against ‘Israel's' 'crazy war', calling for an 'unconditional' halt to the onslaught.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, Prime Minister Ismail Haniya denounced the five-day-long military campaign which has so far left at least 397 Palestinians dead.

"This is an all-out war with no principals. They (‘Israeli' military forces) use all kinds of weapons and target everything... This war is launched against Palestinians," said Haniya.

He said civilians and especially women and children are the main victims of the ‘Israeli' air strikes.

The Prime Minister suggested that ‘Israel' is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and that it intends to annihilate the entire Palestinian population in the territory.

Haniya said Hamas welcomes reconciliation talks with Fatah.

'Israel' launched its attacks on the Gaza Strip on Saturday, pounding over 300 Hamas-linked targets as well as schools, TV stations and mosques.

Tel Aviv has so far snubbed international calls for a ceasefire with Hamas, vowing to continue its military campaign "as long as necessary."

"Our people will defeat those tanks," Haniya added referring to Israel's military build up along the border with Gaza. The deployment of tanks and troops has been interpreted as preparation for a massive ground incursion into the coastal enclave.

The Islamic movement had earlier warned Tel Aviv against a ground operation in the region.

The movement has extended the reach of its rocket attacks on ‘Israel', hitting towns some 40 kilometers east of the Gaza Strip.

Citing Israeli military sources, The New York Times reported that more than 60 rockets and mortar shells were fired at southern Israel on Wednesday.

Six ‘Israelis' have been killed by rocket attacks since the raids on Gaza started. At least sixteen others have been reported wounded.

Some 1900 Palestinians have been wounded in the ‘Israeli' blitz.