Hamas military arm denies responsibility for attacking Israeli troops

The military wing of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has denied any responsibility for attacks on Israeli troops in the south of the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

“We reaffirm our full commitment to implementing all agreed-upon terms, especially the ceasefire across all areas of the Gaza Strip,” said a statement from the al-Qassam Brigades.

An Israeli military official had blamed Hamas for attacks on Israeli soldiers behind the withdrawal line for Israeli troops agreed in the ceasefire agreement.

The military said that soldiers had been fired at with an anti-tank missile and artillery in the southern Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by ordering new attacks in the Gaza Strip.

“We have no knowledge of any incidents or clashes taking place in the Rafah area, as it is part of the red zones under the occupation’s control,” the al-Qassam Brigades said.

The military wing has not had contact with the remaining Hamas units in that area since the end of a ceasefire in March, the statement said, adding that it did not even know whether the unit’s militants were still alive.

“Accordingly, we are not responsible for any incidents occurring in those areas, as we are unable to communicate with any of our mujahideen (fighters) there — if any of them remain alive,” it said.

The attacks on Sunday have raised fears for the stability of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which came into force on October 10.