Hamas message to Islamic Jihad: ‘Interested in continuation of calm in Gaza Strip’
An official in the Gaza Strip told TPS Monday, “It is widely believed that Hamas will not respond by shooting at Israel from within the Gaza Strip, following the killing of the seven terrorists in the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho, Monday morning.”
Yahya Sinwar, the Palestinian leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during a meeting with the foreign press in Gaza City. Gaza, May 26, 2021. Photo by Majdi Fathi/TPS
The source said, “Hamas will not be able to respond following the elimination of its people after it did not authorise the Islamic Jihad to operate from the Gaza Strip after the elimination of the nine terrorists belonging to it in the refugee camp in Jenin last week.”
The source emphasised, “If Hamas allows its people to shoot at Israel from within the Gaza Strip, this will also be giving permission to the GAP and the other elements of the resistance to operate from within the Strip in a manner that is contrary to Hamas’s policy.”
This was confirmed by an Arab official from the PA who maintains contact with the Hamas leadership abroad. In a conversation with TPS this official said, “In recent days, senior officials of the Political Bureau recently emphasised that they have no interest in a military confrontation with Israel in the Gaza Strip” and added, “Such messages were also conveyed to the Palestinian Authority.”
A senior PA official says in a conversation with TPS that the Palestinian Authority has demanded from the US Secretary of State the cessation of unilateral measures on the part of Israel, including the construction in the settlements, the training of the outposts, the expropriation of Tahfrat lands and the status quo at the Al Aqsa Mosque. The Palestinian Authority also demanded that Israel cease its military activities in Judea and Samaria and return the frozen tax money.
Alongside these, the source confirmed, contrary to media reports, “Abu Mazen and the Palestinian security services refused to accede to Israel’s demands as presented by Blinken, including stopping the move before the International Court of Justice in The Hague and fully restoring security coordination.”
The source added, “The extreme positions of the Israeli government are pushing for escalation” and added, “Efforts on the part of Egypt, Jordan and the US continue.”
