Hamas: Not seeking war but will fight Israeli incursions

Hamas Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Friday his Islamist movement is not seeking war with Israel but will not tolerate its troops entering the Palestinian territory.

"We are not calling for a new war, but we will not under any circumstance accept these incursions," he said in a prayer sermon in the Gaza Strip, where the worst cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war entered a third day.

Haniyeh said that Israeli forces had intruded "150 to 199 metres (yards) on the pretext of searching for tunnels".

"We sent multiple messages that the resistance will not allow the Israeli occupation army to impose new rules within the borders of the Gaza Strip."

He said the movement would not accept the "so-called buffer zone," referring to a 100-metre wide strip along the border but inside Gazan territory where the Israeli army has said it reserves the right to operate. 

Israel launched new air raids in the Gaza Strip early Friday, saying it was a response to Palestinian mortar fire across the border.

Source: AFP