Hamas terrorists to “keep finger on the trigger”
צילום: רויטרס
Hamas rejects calls to disarm
Terrorists to “keep their finger on the trigger,” Hamas spokesman says during memorial ceremony
GAZA - Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri has dismissed calls on the group to disarm and said weapons held by the Hamas and other terror organizations are “legal.”
“Even after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, the fingers of Hamas activists will remain on the trigger,” he said during a memorial ceremony marking one year to the assassination of Hamas leader and founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and attended by 1,500 people.
“The movement would not agree to any effort by any element to undermine its readiness to go back to the armed struggle against the occupation,” al-Masri said. “Our weapons are a red line and we won’t allow to compromise it.”
The current lull would not continue unless Israel meets all Palestinian demands, most notably the call to release all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, he said.
“Israel would not continue enjoying the calm if Palestinians behind bars in Israeli prisons are not released,” he said.
‘Yassin’s heritage lives on’
Meanwhile, more than 20,000 Hamas supporters took part in a rally held at a soccer stadium in the West Bank town of Nablus. The show of force marked the opening of the election campaign for the Legislative Council.
The rally marked the largest gathering in the Wet Bank since the death of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat last November.
Another Hamas spokesman, Muhammad Bachar, said the group is determined to win Legislative Council representation and fight for changing Palestinian priorities.
“Sheikh Yassin was killed but his heritage lives on,” he said.
