Hamas leader ‘not denying’ that West Bank terror attacks were ordered from Gaza

Hamas Politburo chairman Ismail Haniyeh says he does not deny that orders to carry out recent terror attacks in the West Bank came from the Gaza Strip.

“I will also respond to the Zionists who are saying what is happening in the West Bank is based on directives and arrangements from Gaza,” Haniyeh tells tens of thousands of Hamas supporters marking the 31st anniversary of the terror group’s founding in Gaza City. “This is an accusation that we do not deny… because it is a source of pride reigning over all of us.”

Last week, IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan said Hamas was behind two deadly shooting attacks in the central West Bank.

But Haniyeh also says Palestinian men in the West Bank do not need instructions to carry out attacks.

“The men of the West Bank don’t need a remote control or an order,” Haniyeh says in an hour-long speech.

— Adam Rasgon