BICOM

Palestinian sources in Gaza have told Israel’s Kan Radio News that Hamas will escalate tensions along the security fence later today.

The sources said Hamas had ordered its forces deployed along the border to leave their posts and stop inspecting vehicles transporting demonstrators towards the fence. The officials said Hamas is planning to bring more demonstrators to the fence in order to put pressure on Israel to agree a truce arrangement.

This week Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar denied any ceasefire agreement had been reached with Israel, and instead said “official Palestinian parties” were working with the Israeli secret services to try and make reconciliation efforts with Fatah fail.

He said hostilities will not end until the blockade of the coastal enclave has been lifted. Sinwar also criticised the UN Middle East envoy, Nikolay Mladenov, who is leading discussions between Hamas and Israel but hasn’t been to the Gaza Strip in the past three weeks.

He also described the March of Return as “our faction’s choice and our people’s choice,” explaining that it helped prevent an explosion within Gaza against Hamas. “Gaza did not want to stand idly by when the American Embassy was transferred to Jerusalem. The Palestinian people succeeded in turning this provocation into an opportunity to confront the Israeli enemy” he said.