The leader of the Hamas terror organization, Ismail Haniya, said Sunday that the Middle East peace plan US President Donald Trump is expected to unveil next week "will not pass" and could lead to a surge in Palestinian terrorism.
"We firmly declare that the 'deal of the century' will not pass. The new plot aimed against Palestine is bound to fail," and could lead the Palestinians to a "new phase in their struggle" against Israel, Haniya said in a statement.
Shortly after the Palestinian Islamist movement released Haniya's statement, a rocket was fired from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip towards Israel, the Israeli army said.
The army said it had carried out air strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza late Saturday, in response to the launching of incendiary devices attached to balloons sent over from the coastal enclave.
Hamas did not claim responsibility for Sunday's rocket attack but warned it was "time... to restore the rights of Palestinians with a new phase of fighting against Israeli occupation".
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his rival, Blue and White party chairman Benny Gantz, departed for Washington on Sunday, ahead of planned meetings with President Donald Trump.
Trump is expected to disclose details of the much-anticipated plan, dubbed the "Deal of the Century", to the two leaders this week.
The Palestinian Authority has condemned the plan even before its release, calling the initiative dead on arrival.
On Sunday, Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat threatened that the PA could withdraw from parts of the Oslo Accords if the Trump administration's plan is unveiled.
Erekat told AFP that the Palestinian Liberation Organization reserved the right "to withdraw from the interim agreement", the concrete part of the Oslo deal, if Trump unveils his plan.
The Trump initiative will turn Israel's "temporary occupation (of Palestinian territory) into a permanent occupation", Erekat claimed.