GAZA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Militants from various Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip said on Wednesday that they are ready to confront any Israeli military assault on the coastal enclave.

Masked militants, holding arms and representing several armed wings including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, made the announcement at a joint news briefing in Gaza City.

The news briefing was held to mark the 13th anniversary of the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip with 21 Jewish settlements dismantled.

"The Palestinian armed resistance is ready to defend the Gaza Strip and confront any Israeli military aggression on our people," said one of the masked militants.

"We will do so by all means in our hands until the liberation of our holy lands," he added.

The militant groups also called on the Palestinian Authority "to immediately stop all kinds of security cooperation with Israel after all peace efforts had completely failed."

After withdrawing from Gaza in September 2005, Israel maintains a tight blockade on the Palestinian territory under the pretext of preventing potential military attacks against it.

Two years after the Israeli withdrawal, the Islamic Hamas movement violently seized control of the Gaza Strip after weeks of fighting with security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Enditem

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