Hamas, Islamic Jihad hold Israel responsible for current tension

GAZA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad group on Saturday blamed Israel for the consequences of what they termed as the "ongoing endless aggression" against the Palestinian people.

"The Israeli escalation, especially in Gaza, will not stop the uprising of the Palestinian people or prevent it from continuing its path to the freedom and victory of Jerusalem," Hamas spokesman Abdellatif al-Qanoou told Xinhua.

He stressed that Hamas is "ready to defend the Palestinian people and engage in the battle of freedom of Jerusalem."

Islamic Jihad Spokesman Daoud Shihab said "the Israeli escalation on Gaza is a desperate attempt to exhaust the citizens and quell public anger in the face of the occupation to topple the unjust American decision against Jerusalem."

Two militants belonging to al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes on sites belonging to Hamas in Gaza overnight in response to rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel.

This came after the killing of two Palestinian civilians on Friday in clashes with the Israeli army in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, confrontations between the Palestinians and the Israeli army continued for the second day in a row in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in protest against the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, clashes since morning have resulted in three Palestinians wounded by rubber-coated bullets and 10 others suffocated by inhaling tear gas. Enditem