Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem vowed that the terrorist organization which rules Gaza would take part in the response to the assassination of three Islamic Jihad leaders overnight.
“Hamas is part of the joint operations room of the factions that are leading the response to this crime. We will participate in the response against Israel,” Qassem’s statement reads.
Israeli security officials had believed that Hamas would largely stay out of the current conflict with Islamic Jihad so as not to be caught up in a significant round of fighting.

The last few hours had been relatively quiet in the Gaza envelope. Not long ago, the IDF announced that an IAF aircraft struck a terrorist squad carrying anti-tank guided missiles in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
The political-security Cabinet will meet this evening for a discussion of the current Gaza operation, which has been called ‘Shield and Arrow.’ It is believed that Islamic Jihad is preparing a significant response to the assassination of its leaders which could threaten the residents of southern Israel.