Hamas leaders warn Israel over ongoing blockade imposed on Gaza

Political and military leaders of Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza warned Israel on Thursday over the continuation of its blockade that has been imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007.

A masked spokesman for the movement's military wing al-Qassam Brigades told a rally in Gaza to support the wave of tension that goes on the West Bank and Hamas terms it as Intifada, or Uprising that "this warning is the last one."

"This is the last warning and there is nothing that would prevent us from taking the decision either to lift the siege imposed on Gaza or there will be a huge explosion," said the masked Hamas military armed wing spokesman.

Meanwhile, Ismail Haneya, deputy Hamas chief, told the rally "don't misinterpret our patience in Gaza, if the siege goes on, we won't be able to keep our people living in this suffering... patience has limits."

"It is impossible to see the siege goes on indefinitely and it is impossible to keep two million Palestinians in a big prison. Don't leave Gaza air, ground and sea closed, we have the right to have a seaport and airport," said Haneya.

He went on saying that the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip "have the right of free movement," adding that "if a seaport and an airport are built in Gaza, this doesn't mean that Gaza will turn into a separate state from our Palestinian territories."

"Gaza is part of Palestine, and having ports in the Gaza Strip is a legal right and building up ports in the Gaza Strip won't keep the internal Palestinian division going on," said Haneya.

In the summer of 2007, Israel imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip and considered the enclave a hostile entity right after Hamas movement and its militias had violently seized control of the enclave.

Since then, Israel waged three large-scale military offensives on the Gaza Strip which left hundreds of people killed as well as large destruction in the infrastructure as well as industry, economy and agriculture. Endit