An offshoot of the Palestinian Fatah faction, The Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, announced on Wednesday that it would not disarm after Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip despite warnings from the Palestinian Interior Ministry that armed groups would not be tolerated by authorities. 
"We will continue to brandish our weapons in the face of the occupation (Israel) as Gaza is only the first step towards the liberation of all of the land of Palestine," a spokesman for the group said in a public statement, according to AFP.
The announcement that such group would be opposed in the Gaza Strip was made on Tuesday by the Palestinian Interior Ministry, who said any irregular armed groups in the Gaza Strip following the pullout of Israeli soldiers from the territory would be handled.
"The Palestinian Authority and the elected political leadership will not permit armed groups and private armies to be present in Palestinian zones where the (Israeli) occupation has ended," a statement said.
However, spokesmen for the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades replied, "The appeals by the interior ministry and other parties to give up our weapons are irrelevant."
Other resistance groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad have also stated that they will disregard the call of the Palestinian Authority to disarm after the pullout.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
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