Islamic Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, on Monday welcomed a report by a leading rights group for calling on Israel to lift the blockade on the coastal enclave.

The report by the London-based Amnesty International "was positive and demonstrated the extent of weariness that hit the world due to the non-stop crimes Israel commits against the Palestinian people," said Salah al-Bardaweel, a Hamas spokesman.

The organization accused Israel of "collectively punishing" the 1.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since it sealed off commercial crossing points in response to Hamas' violent takeover of the territory in June 2007.

Israel says the sanctions target the Palestinian armed groups and also aims at deterring them from firing rockets into Israel's southern communities, but Amnesty said the sanctions, including restrictions on the entry of "food, medical supplies, educational equipment and building materials," take toll on the entire population.

The report has also blamed Egypt for keeping Rafah crossing point on its borders with Gaza closed most of the time except for sporadic openings.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2010)