PFLP says it will target British forces if they are deployed in Gaza
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has warned Britain and other countries against deploying forces on the land or coast of the Gaza Strip.
The BBC reported on Saturday that UK troops could be deployed in Gaza to assist with aid deliveries via a temporary pier in the enclave being built by the United States.
The Marxist-Leninist group said in a statement on Telegram that British troops would be "treated as occupation forces and will be legitimate targets for the resistance".
"Our people will not forget the major crime committed by Britain against the Palestinian people, with its major contribution to the establishment of the Zionist entity, after issuing the ill-fated Balfour Declaration, and its continuation to this day in supporting the occupation and its crimes," read the statement, referring to the statement issued in 1917 by the British government.
The group said the justification of troop deployment to assist aid deliveries via the new sea corridor was "a lie that does not deceive anyone".
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"[It] is a justification for the permanent presence of military forces on the ground for malicious colonial goals and to protect the security of the Zionist entity," the PFLP said.
"Whoever wants to provide relief to the Palestinian people must press to stop the aggression, break the siege, and bring in relief aid through the official crossings in the Gaza Strip and under Palestinian management and supervision."
The current round of fighting in Gaza began on 7 October following an attack in southern Israel by Hamas which resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 people in Israel.
According to the Gaza health ministry, Israel has since killed at least 34,454 people in the enclave, mostly women and children. Israel estimates that 129 hostages captured on 7 October are still in Gaza, including 34 the military says are dead.
The military wing of the PFLP, which was founded by leftists in 1967, has carried out sporadic attacks since 7 October in retaliation for Israel's assault on Gaza.
Israeli figures have also accused supporters of the PFLP in Gaza of having taken part in the 7 October attack.
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