Hamas terrorists in Gaza
Hamas terrorists in GazaAbed Rahim Khatib/Flash 90

Palestinian Arab factions on Thursday called on Egypt to resume its status as broker in the negotiations between them and Israel to maintain a Gaza ceasefire, the Egyptian Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

The factions met in Gaza to discuss what was described “Israeli violations”

In a press conference after the meeting, Khaled Al-Batsh, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, called on Egypt to resume the negotiations immediately “to pressure the Israeli enemy into stopping its aggression on Palestinians”, the state-run Egyptian MENA news agency reported.

Al-Batsh held Israel responsible for the latest escalation, which he regarded as a breach of the Egyptian-brokered truce, stressing that the Palestinian people have a right to defend themselves against “Israeli aggression”.

Thursday’s meeting came a day after a gunfight erupted on the border with Israeli soldiers, leaving one soldier critically wounded. Israel responded by eliminating a senior Hamas terrorist.

Last weekend, Gaza terrorists fired a rocket at Israel last Friday in a breach of the truce with Israel, in at least the third such rocket attack since the ceasefire that ended Operation Protective Edge in August.

In response to the rocket attack, the IAF struck Gaza concrete factories used to rebuild the terror tunnels leading into Israel and built to attack Israeli civilians. Over 30 such tunnels were destroyed in the operation, but since it ended Hamas has been busily rebuilding them.

Hamas has denied that the sniper who carried out Wednesday morning's attack against IDF soldiers was one of its members, but Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon made clear that Israel holds Hamas responsible for anything that happens in Gaza and would firmly respond to any violations of the ceasefire.

The Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, the so-called “military wing” of the Popular Resistance Committees, said during Thursday’s press conference that Israel "shall pay the price of violating the terms of the truce", adding that its members would "respond immediately to any act of aggression."

An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire reached on August 26 ended the 50-day Operation Protective Edge.