Ramallah, August 18 (RHC)-- Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two Palestinian resistance movements based in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, have issued stern warnings to Israel following Israeli strikes that killed three Gazans.

On Saturday, the Israeli military said helicopter gunship and tank fire had killed three “armed suspects” along the fence separating the coastal sliver from occupied Palestinian lands.  Ma’an news agency said at least one other Palestinian had suffered critical injuries in the overnight attack.

Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif al-Qanu reacted on Sunday, saying the pressure that the Palestinian nation was being subjected to threatened to cause “its rage against the occupiers to explode.”

Such eruption could only be prevented if Tel Aviv ended its atrocities, acts of terrorism, and siege targeting the Palestinians, Qanu said.   He emphasized that the international community’s silence and inaction in the face of the regime ran counter to international law and humanitarian principles and encouraged Tel Aviv to perpetrate more such crimes.

Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, released a statement saying that Israel’s “brutal treatment of our nation” manifested itself in the recent killings.  It described Israeli crimes as “a declaration of war against our people.”

Gaza has been under Israeli siege since June 2007.   Israel has also launched three major wars against the enclave since 2008, killing thousands of Gazans each time.