Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar warned on Monday that unless the Gaza blockade ends and conditions in the territory improve, "we will go back to the fence with our men, our children and our women. We are not afraid and this time we will go all the way."
In an interview with Lebanese television channel Al-Mayadeen on Monday, Sinwar declared, "The siege on Gaza must break."
Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007 after Hamas violently seized control of the territory, and since then have closely monitored the border crossings and controlled the entry of goods.
In Monday's interview, Sinwar also announced a date for renewed protests along the Gaza border fence if indirect talks with Israel, with Egyptian mediation, fail to produce results.
Sinwar announced plans to stage a mass protest on Naksa Day, June 5. Every year since the 1967 Six-Day War, Arabs commemorate the "Naksa," or defeat, referring to Israel's crushing defeat of the Jordanian, Egyptian and Syrian armies. As a result of the short war, Israel more than tripled the territory under its control.
Hamas stressed that this was not an ultimatum, but rather a deadline for action by the international community to help Gaza.
Hamas views Egypt's decision to open the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza for the duration of Ramadan, which ends on June 8, as a great achievement. Sinwar said Hamas will not renew the demonstrations on the fence if Egypt announces it will leave the crossing open.
"The Rafah border crossing is Gaza's economic lifeline," Sinwar told Al-Mayadeen.
Meanwhile, security incidents on the border with Gaza continue. A number of Palestinians penetrated Israeli territory on Tuesday from Gaza in an incident that resulted in no casualties. The Israel Defense Forces responded by striking a Hamas reconnaissance post with a tank.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said the military "monitored the incident from its beginning."
In addition, a drone penetrated Israeli territory from northern Gaza on Monday night, and after crashing was collected by the IDF for investigation.
Since March, security forces have noted a sharp increase in attempts by Palestinians to breach the border. Such incidents include attempts to vandalize Israeli army positions and attack Israeli forces as well as sabotage security efforts along the border fence.
The recent escalation comes against the backdrop of a series of border protests, culminating in the great "March of Return" on May 14, with tens of thousands of Palestinians violently demonstrating at different points along the border. Over 60 Palestinians were killed on May 14, 50 of them confirmed by Hamas as being its operatives. Over 2,000 people were injured in the clashes.
Hamas organized the weekly border demonstrations in an attempt to direct and incite public frustration in Gaza against Israel. On Sunday, a young Gazan man set himself on fire, with family members saying he had done so in an act of protest against Hamas. He died afterward in the hospital from his injuries.
