Hamas says truce with Israel over

Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Tuesday announced an end to a half-year-old ceasefire with Israel as Prime Minister Ismail Haneya held Israel responsible for the collapse of the truce.

"The calmness with the occupation has been over because the occupation ignored it," Abu Obaida, a spokesman for Hamas' Izz el- Deen al-Qassam Brigades, told reporters in Gaza.

His remarks followed an official statement by Hamas militants saying that they launched dozens of home-made rockets and mortars into Israel from Gaza, marking the actual end of the fragile ceasefire.

The rocket attacks were only "an initial response" to the Israeli army raids in West Bank where the ceasefire had failed to extend to, Abu Obaida added.

The Israeli army has escalated its military actions against the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since Saturday,killing at least nine Palestinians.

Prime Minister Haneya of Hamas asserted the liability as "an Israeli one," saying the coalition government "had tried to reinforce the calmness and reached a positive agreement with the factions," but Israel failed to meet its obligations.

"In return, Israel has responded to us with increased military escalation," Haneya added.

Mushier al-Masri, a Hamas leader in Gaza, threatened that "all options of Palestinian resistance are open in the face of the Israeli aggressions."

Fatah movement of the moderate President Mahmoud Abbas also stressed the right of the factions to counter the Israeli army operations.

"Israel did not respect the truce and the factions can not remain mere bystanders," said Ahmed Abu Holi, a lawmaker from Fatah.

He speculated that Israel would launch retaliatory strikes into the Gaza Strip after the Jewish state ends celebrations of its " day of independence."

The Palestinian Interior Ministry also considered launching rocket attacks as "a legitimate right of the Palestinians in response to the Israeli crimes."

Khaled Abu Helal, a spokesman for the ministry, however, expressed fears that the recent surge of violence may affect a security plan proposed by the ministry to restore order in the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa al-Barghouti urged the international community to pressurize Israel to stop its attacks against the Palestinians.

He revealed that more than 23 people were killed by the Israeli army after the formation of the national unity government in March.

Israeli sources said more than 150 home-made rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel since the ceasefire began last November.

Source: Xinhua