Hamas accuses Israel of committing new "massacre" in Gaza

The Palestinian Islamic resistance movement Hamas on Thursday accused Israel of committing a new "massacre" in the northern Gaza Strip, where 15 Palestinians were killed and more than 90 others injured in the past three days.

"The Zionist enemy is continuing its criminal actions against our people, and commits a massacre, where the soldiers killed 15 people in cold blood," the group said in a communique.

"In addition to committing the massacres, those gangs are detaining hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and rudely threaten to continue assassinations against our leaders in territories and in diaspora," it said.

The group also slammed the United States, saying that "the Zionist enemy's escalation against out people came together with a blind and unlimited US support to this enemy amid silence of the Arabs and the world."

"We of course condemn such awful crimes committed against our people, and we reiterate that the intifada (uprising) and the armedresistance against the occupation would continue whatever sacrifices this would cost us," said the communique.

Dozens of armored vehicles and tanks backed by Apache attack helicopters raided the northern Gaza Strip village of Beit Lahya and the new neighborhood of al-Nadda Tuesday, and pulled out from the area on Thursday morning.

Shiffa hospital medics said in the past three days at least 15 Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli troops' gunfire, and more than 90 others were injured in the Gaza Strip.

Five Palestinians were killed on Tuesday, nine Palestinians werekilled Wednesday, and one died of his wounds early on Thursday, they said.

Source: Xinhua