GAZA: Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of Hamas, said that Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz's threats against the Gaza Strip were unacceptable. Tensions have been on the rise after Israeli soldiers detained a senior of the Islamic Jihad.

Haniyeh made the remarks during a phone talk with Tor Wennesland, the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, as per a statement issued by the Hamas leader's office in Gaza.  "The threats of the Israeli officials, particularly Benny Gantz, are unacceptable," he said.

Israeli soldiers detained Bassam al-Saadi on the West Bank at the beginning of this week. He is a key figure in the Islamic Jihad movement, another group in the Gaza Strip dedicated to retaliating violently against Israel.
The Israeli military has since been on high alert close to the Gaza Strip out of concern for reprisals.

Gantz vowed to use force against the Gaza Strip after al-Saadi was taken into custody in order to restore order to the Israeli cities near the coastal enclave. Hamas presently controls the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli embargo since 2007.

According to the Defence Minister's statement to Israel Radio, "if it is not possible to resume the routine of normal life in the Gaza Strip's proximity, there will be no normal life inside the Gaza Strip either."

Haniyeh stated that the UN "has a vital responsibility in this situation" and urged it to "constrain the Israeli occupation and prevent it from harming the Palestinian people."

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