Thousands of Palestinians rallied in Gaza City in support of Islamic Jihad on Friday, setting fire to Israeli and United States flags as the radical Islamists vowed to make more attacks on the Jewish state.
”Talk about a ceasefire is premature because our priority must remain resistance,” Islamic Jihad leader Nafiz Azzam told the gathered masses.
The rally marked the first anniversary of the death of Khaled al-Dahduh, a former leader of Jihad’s armed wing, when a car blew up in Gaza City. Islamic Jihad blamed Israel for the attack, although Israel denied involvement.
Azzam vowed that his movement would support an incoming Palestinian unity government being stitched together between Jihad’s larger Islamist rival Hamas and the moderate Fatah party, although Islamic Jihad is not participating.
”Our message to all is that the Israeli plan aimed at splitting the Palestinian ranks has failed,” he said.
Radical, and considered close to Iran, Islamic Jihad has claimed all the suicide attacks in Israel over the past two years, including the January 29 blast in the Red Sea resort of Eilat that killed three Israelis.
Last week Israeli security forces arrested a member of Islamic Jihad from the northern West Bank, who had smuggled a suicide belt into Israel.
”Islamic Jihad is capable of striking any place at any time,” a masked spokesperson for the group said at the rally. ”It is only a matter of time before we respond to the Zionist crimes.” — AFP
