Hamas: Our response has been limited

Terror group accuses Israel of committing war crimes amid relentless rocket fire directed at southern communities

Elior Levy|Published: 04.09.11 , 14:55

Hamas has accused Israel Saturday of committing war crimes against Palestinians, amid relentless rocket fire directed at the Jewish state by Gaza terrorists.

The terror group also warned that the Palestinian factions' response to Israel's actions thus far has been limited.

Hamas claimed that since Thursday, Israel has committed war crimes against women, children and the elderly. The group charged that the IDF hit ambulances as part of its strikes on Gaza.

"Israel will not succeed in achieving its political goals and will not break the spirit of the Palestinian people who stand strong in the face of escalation," Hamas said.

The Islamist movement stressed that Israel was responsible for the recent escalation and that unlike the Palestinian factions it does not show restraint. The group warned that it will not sit idly by as the escalation continues and said "Israel must bear the consequences of its actions."

Attack on Gaza Strip (Photo: AFP)

Hamas slams world

Hamas also slammed the international community and claimed that its lack of response enables Israel to "commit crimes." The group claimed that the "international community bears responsibility for all repercussions and developments stemming from this escalation."

The organization also called on all Arab states to show solidarity and resist Israeli aggression.

Hamas spokesmen Sami Abu Zuhri and Fawzi Barhoum praised the Egyptian protestors who burned Israeli flags on Friday outside the Israeli Embassy in Egypt. They also urged an Arab League meeting following the escalation.

The two further called on the US to halt financial and military aid to Israel.

Abu Zuhri also said Hamas terrorists did not intend to target Israeli schoolchildren when they fired a rocket at a bus two days ago, critically wounding a teenager and sparking the latest round of border fighting.

"It was not known that the bus targeted on the outskirts of Gaza carried schoolchildren," he told Reuters, adding that the road where the bus was travelling was often used by Israeli military vehicles.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that more than 70 mortar shells, Qassams and Grad rockets have been fired at Israel in the last two days. Some 15 terrorists were killed and 50 were injured in IDF strikes in the Gaza Strip.