Hamas says Israel has stepped up aggression against Gaza due to the uprisings in the Arab world and is trying to undermine Palestinian resistance movements’ reconciliation efforts.

"Nowadays, there is aggression against the Gaza Strip. This aggression [has] now increased because of what happened in Arab countries," Hamas Political Bureau Deputy Chairman Moussa Abu Marzouk told Press TV in an exclusive interview on Saturday.

Israeli aerial and ground strikes against the Gaza Strip have left at least 19 Palestinians dead in the beleaguered territory since Thursday.

Marzouk pointed out that the Israeli army is currently trying to take the Gaza Strip under its control by attempting to undermine Palestinian resistance movements’ efforts to reconcile their differences.

Marzouk blamed Tel Aviv for ruining the reconciliation efforts of Palestinian resistance movements, which have been holding talks over the past few months in order to strike a unity deal.

However, he stated that the Palestinians will continue their resistance against Israeli aggression.

The Hamas official also said the resistance movement would contact Muslim and Arab countries and called on them to "stand with the Gazans” and to apply pressure in response to Israel’s aggression.

(Press TV)