Mashaal pledges to fight Israel again if demands not met

In his press conference in Qatar earlier today, Khaled Mashaal threatened to continue fighting with Israel if the Palestinians demands are not met and says Gaza will never disarm its “sacred” weapons.

“The rockets and tunnels exist, if the negotiations fail and there will be a need, we will return to resistance until we reach our goals,” he says, according to Haaretz.

Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conceded that he cannot guarantee the operation will ensure long-term quiet, and said if Hamas resumes its fire, it will strike back “sevenfold.”

Mashaal also adamantly rejects the calls to disarm the Gaza terror group.

“The weapons of the resistance are sacred and we will not accept that they be on the agenda” of future negotiations with Israel, Mashaal says.

Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal speaks to Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News in Doha, the Qatari capital, August 2014. (screen capture, Yahoo News)

Israel has consistently linked the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, devastated during its 50-day war with Hamas that ended on Tuesday, to the territory’s demilitarization.

But Mashaal insists that Hamas will not lay down its arms.

“The issue is not up for negotiations. No one can disarm Hamas and its resistance,” he says.