GAZA, July 16: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a stern warning to militants on Saturday, saying he would not tolerate any further internal fighting or violations of a ceasefire with Israel.
Mr Abbas, in a televised speech to the Palestinian people, called on militant groups to reaffirm their commitment to the ‘calm’ that he agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a summit in February.
An upsurge of violence in recent days has brought the truce close to collapse.
HAMAS VOWS REVENGE: Hamas vowed revenge against Israel on Saturday after six of its gunmen were killed in an upsurge of violence.
“Revenge, revenge,” shouted thousands of mourners in Gaza at the funerals of four of the gunmen killed on Friday in missile strikes launched after a barrage of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel which killed one woman.
“When Palestinian blood is shed, there is no protection for Zionist blood,” said Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah.
The flare-up of violence, which began on Tuesday when a Palestinian suicide bomber killed five Israelis in an attack in the town of Netanya, has seriously undermined a truce declared by Israel and the Palestinian Authority in February.
It has also raised the prospect of a disruption to Israel’s planned evacuation of 9,000 settlers from all 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank next month.
