Israel suspends work permits as a form of punitive measure against Hamas in Gaza 

According to Palestinian security sources, Israel has suspended issuing work permits for Palestinian workers in the coastal enclave as a punitive measure against the Islamic Hamas movement. 

Speaking to The New Arab, a senior official source at Palestinian Civil Affairs said, "Israeli authorities informed us in the early morning that they will not issue any new permits of further Gazan workers."

"Based on the indirect Palestinian-Israeli understandings, Israel was supposed to increase the number of permits for Gazan workers in Israel from 18 to 20 thousand workers," the official added, noting that "now everything has been suspended." 

Israeli media outlets reported that Israel decided to freeze the decision to increase the number of Palestinian workers as a punitive measure against Hamas.

The unprecedented decision was taken after Hamas supported the armed operations in the occupied West Bank on Israeli targets and because of the escalation of attacks. Israeli authorities argue that Hamas is behind in the occupied West Bank and have also threatened to assassinate its Lebanon-based leader, Salah al-Arouri.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army conducted a military manoeuvre in an area at the northern border with Lebanon, and a spokesman for the occupation army said that, within the framework of the manoeuvre, there would be an active movement of vehicles in the area and sounds of explosions and gunfire will be heard.

The occupation army also decided to close several roads in the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip due to the military activity of the Israeli army there.

Salah al-Bardawil, a senior Hamas official, said that the Palestinian resistance possesses a lot of information that harms the Israeli occupation entity.

"The enemy's cowardice may lead him to carry out his threats against the leaders of the resistance, and he will pay a heavy price whenever he attacks the Palestinians," he said. 

He stressed that the repercussions of the assassination of a prominent Palestinian figure "will lead to the spark spreading everywhere, and a regional war is expected."

"Any targeting of Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri will face a response that the occupation does not expect," he added.