Jihadi leader warns Israel "that failure to comply with Hamas's demands would prompt the movement to kidnap more IDF soldiers in the future to release Palestinian prisoners"

Jihadi leader warns Israel "that failure to comply with Hamas's demands would prompt the movement to kidnap more IDF soldiers in the future to release Palestinian prisoners"

More demands; more threats. "Hamas, Islamic Jihad threaten to end Gaza Strip cease-fire," by Khaled Abu Toameh, for the Jerusalem Post, July 19:

One month after the cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip came into effect, Hamas said over the weekend that it might end the truce because of Israel's "continued failure to honor the agreement."

Hamas also said that it was convinced that "sooner or later, Israel would give in to our conditions" regarding the case of kidnapped IDF St-Sgt. Gilad Schalit.

Abu Obaidah, a spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, Izaddin Kassam, the group that is holding the IDF soldier, claimed that Israel's "intransigence" was behind the delay in achieving an agreement over a prisoner release.

Referring to the recent deal between Israel and Hizbullah, Abu Obaidah expressed hope that it would serve as an incentive for a new agreement between Israel and Hamas.

"Hamas considers the deal with Hizbullah an honorable achievement for the Lebanese resistance," he said. "This deal also proves that Israel's criterion for releasing [security] prisoners has been shattered. In the past, Israel refused to free prisoners serving lengthy sentences."

He expressed confidence that Israel would eventually succumb on the case of Schalit.

"Sooner or later Israel will have to accept our conditions," he added. "Unless Israel accepts all of our demands, there will be no agreement."