A Gaza-based high-ranking Islamic Hamas movement leader on Thursday warned Israel againts launching any new large- scale offensive on the Gaza Strip similar to the late 2008 "Cast Lead" campaign, dpa reported.
"We seriously consider Israel's threats to launch another war on Gaza, but we frankly say if Israel tries to enter Gaza, it will cost it a lot and it won't be able to achieve its goals," said Mahmoud al- Zahar during a workshop in Gaza.
Israel had accused Hamas movement, which has been ruling the Gaza Strip since June 2007, of trying to get more arms and weapons to the salient to use in carrying out attacks against Israeli territory.
"It is the right of Hamas to have all kinds of weapons to defend ourselves," al-Zahar said. "If Israel carries out another war in the future, it should think thousand of times before carrying out a war."
He said that Israel "exaggerates that armed organizations have various kinds of weapons to find an excuse to strike again on the Gaza Strip."
Meanwhile, al-Zahar affirmed that there are contacts between his movement and Western countries "due to the growth of Islam. We speak with the west using the same honest language that we use with everyone."
He denied that his movement had held direct contacts or talks with officials in the US administration, "but we speak to non-official American and Western figures, and we welcome anyone who wants to speak to us."