The military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement said on Thursday it would not sign any agreement with Egypt that may include banning of arms flow into the Gaza Strip.
"We can not pledge to stop bringing weapons under any agreement we sign with Egypt and we can not sign on anything that could negatively affect the process of resistance on Palestine land," said Abu Obaida, a spokesman for Ezz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas.
"The arms that reach the clean and honest hands go only to resist the Zionist occupation. It is not a smuggling; it is one of the requirements for the dignity and glory of this nation," he added in a statement sent to media.
Abu Obaida's statement came a few days after Israeli intelligence officials said arms continued to flow into the Hamas- controlled Gaza Strip through its southern border with Egypt despite the efforts of the Egyptian government to curb the smuggling.
Egypt has mediated between Hamas and Israel on several issues and succeeded in brokering a ceasefire between the two sides from June to December 2008. Egypt also mediated to secure a prisoner exchange since Hamas captured an Israeli soldier in 2006.
(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2009)
