Hamas declares end to ceasefire
Updated on 19 December 2008
A six-month ceasefire by Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip has ended, raising the prospect of fresh Middle East fighting between Israel and Palestinian factions.
Hamas and other militant groups in the Gaza Strip said they were prepared for any military escalation with Israeli forces and possible Israeli army raids into the territory. They said their gunmen had undergone training during the six-month truce.
A statement from Hamas's armed wing, Izz le-Deen al-Qassam,said: "We announce that the calm between us and the Zionist enemy has finished entirely and it will not be renewed as a result of the occupation's denial of its fundamental conditions and obligations."
It said any Israeli incursion would "open the doors of the battle wide and would be met by a painful response from our side".
An Israeli military source said two rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel as the truce was declared to have ended, and that a cross-border shooting from Gaza at a collective farm also resulted in no casualties.
Hamas stopped short of threatening an immediate escalation of violence against Israel, which had hoped to extend the truce and appears wary of a confrontation that could cause heavy casualties on both sides.
"We think the lull is in the best interest of both sides," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.
"We would like it to continue. If Hamas chooses violence over the ceasefire, rocket shooting over the possibility of improving the situation in Gaza, then one must ask oneself whether Hamas has the best interests of its people in mind or whether there are foreign interests that are involved."
