The Islamic Hamas movement threatened on Saturday to carry out new escalatory measures to break a blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip since the movement took control of Gaza last June.
"The threat to carry out measures to break the siege came after the Egyptian efforts to reach a truce with Israel had failed," said Hamas spokesman in Gaza Sami Abu Zuhri.
He clarified that the truce efforts had failed "because Israel wants calm for calm without ending the blockade, and imposes new conditions on reaching a truce," stressing "the aim of the truce efforts was to end our people's suffering."
Egypt has been mediating a six-month truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas movement together with minor militant groups. So far, nothing has been agreed upon between the two sides.
Israel insists to include the issue of the captive Israeli corporal Gilad Schalit in the truce, and wants calm for calm before it ends almost one year of a tightened blockade it is imposing on the Gaza Strip.
Hamas officials reject the Israeli demand and insisted that thetwo issues, the prisoners' swap and the truce, are separated.
Abu Zuhri threatened to use more activities and actions "which will be tougher," saying "it's better to end the blockade before having the entire situation in the Gaza Strip blowing up."
Meanwhile, Abu Zuhri denied earlier reports that there is an internal Palestinian-Palestinian dialogue and top Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar had held talks in Egypt seeking a Palestinian reconciliation.
Source: Xinhua
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