Hamas warned that it would not allow the Israeli occupation to “impose new equations and change the rules of engagement” in the Gaza Strip, Quds Press reported.
Spokesman Ismail Ridwan placed full responsibility for the “escalation and its repercussions” on the occupation.
“This escalation comes in the framework of the continuous Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people,” he said. “The Israeli occupation is trying to ignite the Palestinian situation, impose new equations and change the rules of engagement in the Gaza Strip.”
“The Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves,” he added, stressing that this “escalation” will not “break the will of the Palestinians.”
Meanwhile, he called for Egypt to “rein in the Israeli occupation” as it is the sponsor of the ceasefire deal which was reached in the wake of the major Israeli offensive on Gaza in 2014.