Hamas rejects Israeli accusations on arming

Hamas government rejected on Saturday Israeli accusations that the Islamic movement which governs the Gaza Strip boosted its weaponry in recent months. "Israel releases such accusations to establish a ground for new wars against the besieged enclave," said Ihab Al-Ghussein, spokesman for the Hamas-run government. Earlier in the day, the London-based pan-Arab Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper quoted an Israeli official as saying that Hamas used its strong relations with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to facilitate its arming. Hamas is the Palestinian historic offshoot of the MB, from which Egypt's ousted president Mohammed Morsi hails. The Egyptian army ousted Morsi earlier this week, a year after he was elected as president. However, Al-Ghussein defended "the role" of the Palestinian militant groups "in preparation for confronting any aggression," adding that Israeli threats against Gaza "do not frighten" Hamas.