'Zionist onslaught.' Haniyeh
Photo: AFP
Haniyeh: Gunmen protecting Palestinians' rights
After dozens of mortars, Qassams pound Israel, Hamas leader says, 'We are holding on despite a siege that would have caused large countries to collapse and give in to Israel's demands'
"We will not recognize Israel even if the siege on Gaza persists," Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said during a Palestinian trade unions conference in Gaza on Thursday, a day in which more than 50 mortars and Qassam rockets were fired toward Israeli territory from the Strip.
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"We are holding on despite a siege that would have caused large countries to collapse and give in to (Israel's) demands," he said, adding that "the armed Palestinian organizations, headed by Hamas' military wing, are protecting the rights of the Palestinian people and allowing the Palestinian leadership to uphold its principles."
The Hamas leader said American officials admitted that the siege on Gaza hasn't achieved its goals and that he was confident that it would eventually be lifted.
"The Israeli-American siege policy has begun to collapse, our relations with the surrounding Arab countries are sound and our ties with elements in Europe are improving as well," Haniyeh said. "Not a week goes by without meetings being held between (Hamas) and representatives of European countries or organizations."
He said the meetings with European officials take place in Gaza.
Referring to Thursday's mysterious explosion in the north Gaza home of a Hamas commander, which left four Palestinians dead and 40 others wounded, Haniyeh said, "The daily Zionist onslaught proves that the Israelis are incapable of implementing this wide-scale operation they keep talking about."
