By Xinhua,
Gaza : Palestinian militants on Monday said an Israeli decision to pull non-combat soldiers out of a crossing point with the Hamas-rule Gaza Strip was a victory for resistance movements against the Jewish state.
“The Zionist enemy gradually admits what happened… this is a new victory for the resistance,” said Abu Ahmed, spokesman for the Islamic Jihad military wing.
The Israeli authorities decided to evacuate intelligence staffs from their offices at Erez crossing days after a suicide bomber detonated a truck laden with heavy explosives near the passage on Thursday.
Abu Ahmed said the attack was in retaliation for Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip imposed since the Islamic Hamas movement chased rival Fatah movement out of the coastal enclave last June.
“The enemy has two options — lifting the siege or shouldering the responsibility of future operations,” Abu Ahmed added.
Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the attack which caused no casualties among the Israelis.
After the attack, Israel closed Erez crossing and the army started to discuss new measures to evade soldier kidnapping threats that may rise in future Palestinian attacks.
Erez crossing was the only passage through which a few Palestinian patients could egress to seek medical treatment.
Egypt has been mediating between Palestinian factions and Israel to secure a ceasefire deal to end Israeli raids and cross-border rocket attacks by militants, but has so far been unsuccessful.