Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Saturday denounced Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' call for immediate stop of firing homemade rockets at southern Israeli target.

In a written statement, the ruling movement also condemned Abbas' call for releasing an Israeli soldier abducted by the three militant groups including Hamas armed wing during a deadly attack on an Israeli army post near Gaza border on June 25.

The militant groups hoped to exchange the soldier for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

"While the occupation forces are committing bloody crimes against our people, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas called on resistance factions to stop launching rockets on the Zionist entity," the statement said.

Hamas also accused Abbas of "ignoring daily Israeli massacres and trying to show the crisis results from the rockets that the resistance fires."

The statement defended firing rockets at Israel as the only way for the Palestinians to face and defend themselves before the aggressions and Israeli invasion into the Gaza Strip.

Source: Xinhua