In a special interview with IMEMC, a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs brigades in Gaza, Abu Almontaser, said that his resistance group preserves the right to respond to Israeli army attacks either on Gaza or on the West Bank.
Abu Almontaser told the IMEMC that the Fatah-linked group would not obstruct sustainability of the current ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, provided that Israel would not attack Gaza or the West Bank.
Q: What is your position towards the ceasefire deal?
The ceasefire has always been of an interest to the Palestinian people, however the Israeli side’s credibility towards the implementation of such a truce has always been doubtful.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades will remain committed to the Palestinian president and Fatah party’s adherence to the interests of the Palestinian people, therefore, we wont obstruct sustainability of the ceasefire.
Q: Why have you retreated position recently?
We have not retreated our position towards such a ceasefire, what we have stated very clearly that breaching the ceasefire by the Zionist side would give us the right to respond.
Q: Recently, the Al-Aqsa Martyers Brigades have fired some homemade shells onto nearby Israeli towns, would this mean that you are defying Hamas, which brought the ceasefire?
The homemade shells have been merely a natural right to resistance, as there is no way that we keep silent or handcuffed in the face of the Israeli occupation crimes against our Palestinian people.
Q: Would the resistance amidst ceasefire harm the interests of the Palestinian people?
In our opinion, such a resistance is deliberate and aimed at the Israeli occupation not at any body else. We would like in this respect to remind you that the Islamic Jihad group has responded to recent Israeli assassination of one of its leaders in Nablus city in the West Bank.
Q: How many members of Al-aqsa Martyrs brigades have been arrested by the Hamas-led police forces in light of latest homemade shells fire?
They were seven. They have been accused of responding to the Israeli Zionist attacks on our people. I am really wondering now of the fact that the security of the occupation state has become an important card in the hands of Hamas!
More than three weeks ago, the ruling Hamas party in Gaza and Israel agreed to an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire deal, which would see halt of homemade shells fire and lifting of the Israeli blockade in Gaza for a period of six months.
Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas in Gaza have been at loggerheads since the Islamist Hamas party took power after January2006’s parliamentary elections.
In June2007, Israel enforced a crippling blockade on the coastal territory after Hamas took over the region amidst factional fighting with Fatah.
The interview has been edited & translated by Rami Almeghari
