Gaza, Aug 23 Militant groups Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) held a joint meeting in the Gaza Strip weeks after deadly Israeli strikes against the PIJ in the besieged enclave, vowing to support each other's resistance against the Israeli occupation.
The meeting, attended by members of the two factions' political and military leaders, was "positive and important", Khader Habib, a senior PIJ leader, told Xinhua news agency.
He added that the Hamas and PIJ agreed to strengthen ties to support "the two groups' strategy of resisting the Israeli occupation".
A joint statement issued after the meeting described "armed resistance" as "the choice of the two movements", warning Israel against "any future assaults against the Palestinian people and the members of the armed resistance".
"There is no retreat, no hesitation, and it will continue under high coordination between the two movements and all other factions," the statement said, adding "our response will be firm, decisive, and united".
On August 5, Israeli fighter jets carried out intensive airstrikes on PIJ targets for three days, killing two of its top militants.
In response, the Gaza militants fired barrages of rockets at Israel.
Hamas didn't join the round of fighting, which ended after Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and PIJ on August 7.
The PIJ, which is closely linked to Iran, is classified as a terrorist organisation by the EU and the US.
Canada, the European Union, Israel, Japan, Australia, the UK and the UnS have designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
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