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The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group has called on all armed factions to "expand" the conflict with Israel throughout the occupied territories.

Khalid Al-Batsh, a senior official at the PIJ, said at a conference held during Jerusalem Week in Gaza on Sunday, that "the situation in the West Bank is similar to the situation before the occupation's withdrawal from Gaza".

"The occupation cannot resist its defeat, so we have the power to force it to leave our lands. We must unify our efforts to fight one of the most dangerous colonial states in the world."

He called on Fatah and Hamas to unite with Islamic Jihad against Israel.

The Islamic Jihad group is the second biggest armed group in the Gaza Strip. Israel has launched five large-scale military operations against the besieged Palestinian coastal enclave since 2008.��

Since 2007, Israel has imposed a stifling siege of the Gaza Strip under the pretext of combating Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory.

As a result, Gaza's 2.3 million inhabitants have suffered increased rates of poverty and unemployment.��