A senior member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Holy War) movement announced on Saturday that his group can not keep the ceasefire commitment, accusing Israel of constantly violating it.

Dawood Shihab, Islamic Jihad's spokesman in Gaza, told reporters that his movement "rejects the calm agreement and the truce with Israel which continues its attacks on the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank."

On Thursday, two Islamic Jihad militants were killed in northern West Bank by Israeli special forces. The group's militants in Gaza responded by launching several homemade rockets at southern Israel.

"If there is a violation of calm in the West Bank, we strongly respond to it from Gaza," Shihab said. "We didn't sign a calm deal with Israel, but we said that we would be committed to it for the sake of our people's interests."

He added that since the ceasefire went into effect on Nov. 26, Israel has killed eight Palestinians, including five Islamic Jihad members and three members of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.

"If the calm is mutual and equal, we are ready for it but in condition that Israel also must be committed to it," Shihab asserted.

Meanwhile, al-Quds Brigades, armed wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility on Saturday for launching two homemade rockets from Gaza into southern Israel.

The group said in a leaflet sent to reporters that "we would respond to any attack carried out by the enemy on our people."

The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Palestinians is now on the brink of collapse as both sides are accusing each other of breaking the truce.

Pressures are also mounting within Israel to react to the frequent rocket fires by Palestinian militants into the Jewish state.

There is a big discrepancy concerning the content of the ceasefire. Israel said the truce is only limited to the Gaza Strip, whereas Palestinian militant groups insisted the deal include the West Bank.

Source: Xinhua