Hamas marks anniversary of Israel's war against Gaza

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Hamas marks anniversary of Israel's war against Gaza

(Xinhua) 08:31, November 15, 2013

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GAZA, Nov. 14 -- Islamic Hamas armed wing al-Qassam Brigades held on Thursday large parades in Gaza Strip to mark one year anniversary of Israel's military operation Cloud Pillar against Gaza.

Wearing colorful military uniforms and carrying various kinds of weapons and rockets, thousands of masked militants escorted by four-by-four desert jeeps paraded in Gaza City's main streets on the occasion.

High-ranking political and military officials joined the parade, including Hamas government's Prime Minister Ismail Haneya, and Hamas strongman Mahmoud al-Zahar, who delivered a speech at the parade, stressing the movement's determination not to halt armed resistance against Israel.

"We will never stop our armed struggle against the Zionist enemy and will never stop digging tunnels along the borders, because we don't recognize these borders," said al-Zahar, who also called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to halt the peace negotiations with Israel.

Ra'ed Sa'ed, one of the top commanders of al-Qassam Brigades, told paraders that the Israelis "would never be secured on any part of our lands as long as they keep their policies of confiscating the lands and seizing Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque.

"It was said that Hamas and its armed wings are weak, and I tell them they have made mistakes," Sa'ed said, adding that "we are ready to launch a war at anytime as long as the enemy does not stop its action of building settlements, Judaizing Jerusalem and killing our people."

Waved flags of the Hamas movement, the parade militants also carried huge pictures of Ahmed Ja'bari, the late commander of al- Qassam Brigades, who was the first militant killed in the eight- day military operation, which ended when Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Local and international right groups blamed Israel and Hamas for violating the international laws of human rights during the war, which killed more than 180 Palestinians and six Israelis.

Rocket attacks on Israel retreated over the past year after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was reached.

Israeli army official said that only 30 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip on southern Israel since the ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also announced earlier this year that rockets fired from Gaza on Israel dropped more than 90 percent.

Last month, Hamas claimed responsibility for digging a two- kilometer-tunnel from Gaza into Israel for launching attacks against Israel. Israel had destroyed the tunnel and killed four Hamas militants in an operation two weeks ago near the borders with southeast Gaza Strip. Five Israeli soldiers were also injured.

While Hamas militants were parading all over the Gaza Strip, militants fired two mortar shells on southern Israel, leaving no damages and injuries. In return, Israeli war jets launched two airstrikes on eastern Gaza and northern Gaza Strip, reporting no injuries.

Meanwhile, the Hamas armed wing called on the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to immediately halt all kinds of peace negotiations and security cooperation with Israel. "The peace talks are used by Israel as a cover to continue crimes against our people."

Talal Oukal, a Gaza-based political analyst, told Xinhua that the military parades carried out by Hamas "are delivering a message to the world that Hamas is not weak and it is ready for any upcoming war that Israel would launch on the Gaza Strip sooner or later."

"Hamas also made the parades as an attempt to regain its power and reputation that was badly damaged following the fall of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt and the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi," said Oukal, adding that "Hamas wanted to say that it doesn't pass through any crisis."