Hamas warns truce is under threat

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has said it will retaliate if Israel continues to violate the interim truce agreement, now in force.

Hamas fighters taken unawares by Israeli truce violations

Reacting to the Israeli raid in Nablus on Friday, top Hamas leader Ismail Abu-Shaneb told Aljazeera that it had the right to respond to all Israeli violations, “as our enemy is not committed to the hudna (truce pact)”.

 

“We reject the Israeli violations and make it clear that in case the enemy continues its violations, we will respond appropriately.  On the other hand, if the enemy sticks to the truce pact we will also abide by it,” Abu-Shaneb said.

 

Five people including two Hamas fighters were killed when Israeli forces raided a refugee camp in the West Bank town of Nablus.

 

No global reaction

 

The Hamas leader said it appeared as if only the Palestinians were honouring the interim truce agreement while the Israelis continued to violate it.

 

“We have not heard any international reaction criticising the Israeli violations,” Abu-Shaneb said, adding that it looked as if “Palestinians are expected to surrender to Israeli occupation.”

 

“We have not heard any international reaction criticising the Israeli violations.”

Hamas leader Abu-Shaneb

On whether the Israeli attacks targeting Hamas and other resistance groups were actually directed at Mahmoud Abbas’s government,  Abu-Shaneb said it was the responsibility of Abbas to ensure that Israeli violations did not happen. It was Abbas who called on all the resistance groups to agree to an interim truce, he said.

 

If Abbas concedes that his government has failed in its mission of bringing about peace, the various Palestinian groups will be free to take their own decisions on the truce, he said. 

 

Meanwhile, in another raid on Saturday morning, Israeli forces entered Ramallah and searched various commercial buildings, reported our correspondent.

 

The forces said they were looking to arrest resistance fighters. The forces withdrew after the search operation.  There appeared to be no arrests or casualties. 

Source: Al Jazeera