Hamas Gazan chief Ismail Haneya on Tuesday slammed the United States position on the escalation of hostility between Israel and the militant groups based in Gaza.

Haneya called on the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to visit Gaza "and have a close look at the level of Israeli crimes" in the coastal enclave, adding that Washington "should stop denouncing Palestinian people's right to defending themselves."

On Monday, Clinton denounced the rocket attacks launched from Gaza against Israel at a UN Security Council meeting, saying "let me ... condemn in the strongest terms the rocket fire from Gaza by terrorists into southern Israel."

Haneya made his remarks as he toured Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, visiting the wounded from Israel's airstrikes.

The recent exchange of fire started on Friday when Israel's airplanes killed the leader of Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and his assistant, who it said were plotting an attack on the Israeli border.

The raid sparked Palestinians' retaliatory rocket fire, to which Israel responded with further airstrikes. The conflicts have claimed the lives of 25 Palestinians, before a fresh ceasefire mediated by Egypt became effective earlier on Tuesday.