Islamic Jihad threatens to resume attacks on Israel

Saraya al-Quds, armed wing of Islamic Jihad (Holy War), on Sunday threatened to resume armed attacks against Israel if Israel continued violation of truce deal.

Abu Hamza, spokesman of the group, said in a statement that the Jihad's armed wing would respond soon to the daily Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinians on Nov. 26.

"The ceasefire agreement is now on the edge of collapse due to the ongoing Israeli violations and the continuation of Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza," said Abu Hamza.

His statements were regarded as an immediate reaction to earlier Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz's statements, in which he said that the West Bank area is not included in the ceasefire agreement.

Hours after Israel's rejection to expansion of the truce deal to the West Bank, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian boy in the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday afternoon.

"We can never accept in all cases leaving armed resistance handcuffed in face of the daily Zionist violations," said Abu Hamza.

On Nov. 26, following months of Israeli military operations, Israel and the Palestinians agreed on a ceasefire under it Israel withdrew forces from Gaza in exchange for stopping home-made rocket attacks against Israel.

More than one Palestinian faction has threatened to break down the ceasefire if it was not extended to the West Bank.

Earlier Sunday, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) had announced that it withdrew from the talks to expand the truce agreement with Israel, attributing the withdrawal to Israeli refusal to include the West Bank in the ceasefire agreement.

Source: Xinhua