Suleiman al-Daya, Gaza cleric, says breaking ceasefire would be ‘sinful’
Israeli soldiers sit on top of an Israeli mobile artillery canon unit at an army deployment area near the Israel-Gaza Strip border on Nov. 20, 2012. A ceasefire to end almost a week of violence in and around the Gaza Strip is to be announced in Cairo, Hamas and Islamic Jihad sources told AFP.
Suleiman al-Daya, one of Gaza's leading clerics, said late Saturday that a violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza would be "sinful."
The Islamic leader's fatwa gives the truce religious weight, the Associated Press reported.
“Honoring the truce, which was sponsored by our Egyptian brethren, is the duty of each and every one of us. Violating it shall constitute a sin,” the fatwah read, according to Ha'aretz.
The ceasefire, brokered by Egypt on Wednesday, ended eight days of fighting as Israel's military launched an offensive against militants who had been firing missiles across the border, AP reported.
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The halting of the fighting is the only concrete term that has been decided on; much still hangs in the balance, including Hamas' request that Israel and Egypt allow the free flow of goods and people in and out of the territory, Ha'aretz reported.
Al-Daya's fatwa comes just a day after senior Hamas leader Abu Marzouk said that Hamas would continue to arm itself against Israel, despite looming negotiations.
"There is no way to relinquish weapons," Abu Marzouk said, according to Ha'aretz. "These weapons protected us and there is no way to stop obtaining and manufacturing them."
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