Hamas, Islamic Jihad hold US responsible for Rafah crimes

TEHRAN, (MNA) – Palestinian resistance movements, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have said that the United States is responsible for the ongoing crimes against Palestinians in Gaza as Washington continues to support the Israeli regime in Rafah.

In a statement on Saturday, the Islamic Jihad Movement held the US responsible for the perpetuated Israeli crimes in Gaza due to its political, financial and military support for the regime.

The movement also condemned Arab countries for their “suspicious” silence on the Israeli crimes, saying that some of those countries are even cooperating with the regime as it has been revealed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Islamic Jihad said that the “Zionist enemy and its supporters” have no goals but to kill more Palestinians. Therefore, it added, resistance fighters will continue to fight the occupiers regardless of the price they pay.

A similar statement was released by Hamas when the resistance movement said in its statement also on Saturday that the Israeli regime is pressing ahead with its genocidal war on Gaza, and the US is responsible in this regard because of supporting the regime.

Hamas called on the international community and the United Nations to put aside their “embarrassing stance” and exert pressure on the Israeli regime so that it stops its crimes and the defenseless civilians are protected.

The reactions by Hamas and Islamic Jihad come as the Israeli regime has intensified attacks across the Gaza Strip, including in the city of Rafah in the south.

It also plans a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah that shelters some 1.4 million Palestinians. The regime has already seized the city’s crossing with Egypt, which is the main point for aid entry into Gaza. On Saturday, it ordered Palestinians to further evacuate eastern Rafah.

According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, at least 34,971 have been killed and 78,641 others wounded there since the war began in early October. The real number is believed to be much higher, as thousands remain unaccounted for.