The Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, stated that if the efforts by the Egyptians to mediate a truce between the Palestinian resistance groups based in Gaza and Israel fails, the brigades will use all its options.
Abu Obyidah, the spokesman for the brigades, told reporters on Saturday that the Israeli army will be facing new tactics in fighting the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. He also said that his group has obtained very broad experience from the past years and they are going to use it.
The Egyptians have been mediating the truce deal for nearly two months now. Hamas and other factions in Gaza offered to stop firing home-made shells at nearby Israeli areas if in return Israeli will stop attacking Gaza and end the 11-month long siege imposed by the army on the coastal enclave.
Earlier this month, Israel turned down the proposal and demanded two more conditions: the release of a captured Israeli soldier in Gaza, Gil'ad Shalit, and a halt to smuggling of arms from Egypt to the coastal region. Ruling Hamas and other factions in Gaza rejected the two demands, saying that the Shalit case is a separate issue and can be dealt with in the framework of a prisoner exchange.
During the week, Israeli army attacks and the siege targeting the Palestinian coastal region claimed the life of 18 Palestinians, many of them civilians.
