Hamas denies responsibility for attacks in southern Israel

Hamas denied Thursday any responsibility for attacks that took place earlier in the day on Israeli targets near the southern port city of Eilat. Preliminary reports said five Israelis and seven of the so-far unidentified attackers were killed. Hamas “rejects accusations and lies that came in statements by minister of the occupation authority, Ehud Barak, in which he wanted to justify an aggression on the Gaza Strip,” said a statement issued by the movement. “This well known policy by the occupation authority confirms its intention to escalate aggression against the Strip,” it said, calling on the international community to intervene “to prevent the occupiers from attacking Gaza.”