Haniyeh: Siege has failed to break Palestinian will

Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that, “the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip has failed to break the will of the Palestinians, who have continued to support the government over the past years,” Palestine Online news website reported.

During an event to celebrate the laying down of the cornerstone of a commercial building for the Awqaf Ministry, Haniyeh said: “Gaza won against the plans of the Israeli occupation by creating out of the siege beacons for guidance and science.”

The prime minister also said that the $5 million commercial project would offer employment opportunities for a large number of unemployed workers in Gaza.

About 1.8 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip under a strict Israeli siege imposed since 2007, when Hamas extended full control over Gaza after a year of security chaos resulting from the international community’s refusal to accept the results of Palestine’s democratic elections that brought Hamas to power.