Source close to Hamas says escalation will aim to put pressure on Israel to speed up reconstruction in Gaza

Gaza - The Hamas movement, which runs the Gaza Strip, said on Tuesday that it was ready to start an escalation against Israel if Tel Aviv continued to delay reconstruction in Gaza.

A source close to the Palestinian Islamist movement, who preferred not to be named, told The New Arab that "there is a deliberate delay in the reconstruction process by the Israelis, who are linking it to a comprehensive deal."

On May 21 Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which put an end to 11 days of fighting. Israeli airstrikes destroyed more than 1,100 buildings and caused severe to moderate damages to 37,000 others in the coastal enclave.

"Unfortunately, the Egyptian mediator is also procrastinating the implementation of his commitments towards the Gaza Strip, without providing any clear reasons, [...] it seems that there is a deliberate delay in implementing the reconstruction process in the strip," the source said.

"Egypt did not abide by what it had pledged to Hamas and the resistance factions in terms of reconstruction and relief in Gaza," he added. 

The source said that the military factions would begin a gradual escalation against Israel next week, in order to pressure it to speed up the reconstruction process. 

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas leader told Al-Jazeera on Monday that the movement was studying options for an escalation against Israel, in light of the ongoing blockade on Gaza and the slowdown in reconstruction.

The official said that the Israeli attacks on worshippers in the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and the harsher measures against Palestinian prisoners would make the situation explode again.

"We will not allow the current situation to continue, and the next stage will prove the credibility of what we are saying," he added.

The Hamas leader also explained that Egypt "continues to harass Palestinian travelers from the Gaza Strip," accusing Cairo of preventing thousands of people from leaving the coastal enclave without justification.