Abu-Marzouk: Egypt stopped Israeli military escalation in Gaza
Deputy leader of Hamas, Mousa Abu-Marzouk
“The intervention of the Egyptian side restored the situation in Gaza to what it was before the Israeli military escalation on the Gaza Strip’s borders today,” Hamas official Mousa Abu-Marzouk revealed yesterday.
In a press release posted on Facebook, Abu-Marzouk added: “We have made contact with our Egyptian brothers as they sponsored the latest ceasefire agreement in August 2014.” He stated that the Egyptians’ response was immediate and serious and it restored the situation to what it was previously.
“What occurred on Gaza’s eastern borders was an Israeli attempt to impose a new fait accompli on the borders, in an area extending 150 metres deep. This forced our resistance fighters to confront them in order to prevent the Israeli army from settling or taking any measures on the ground,” he said.
Israel used fighter jets and mortar artillery to bomb various locations in the Gaza Strip yesterday, including Hamas sites. No casualties were reported, according to the Anadolu Agency.
In a statement, Hamas said it held Israel responsible for the military escalation along its borders. The Israeli army said: “Mortar missiles were fired on a military force carrying out field tasks near the southern fence in the Gaza Strip,” adding that no casualties were reported and the force “responded with opening fire on the source.”
