GAZA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A senior leader of the Islamic Jihad(Holy War) on Wednesday denied reports of his movement receiving 1.8 million U.S. dollars to carry out bombing attacks in Israel.

    Zeyad al-Nakhala said in a press release that the alleged reports, which were uttered by Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, were a preliminary move for an expanded offensive against the movement and its leaders before an upcoming Israeli elections scheduled on March 28.

    He denied what Mofaz had claimed that the Islamic Jihad had received 1.8 million dollars aid to carry out bombing operations, asserting that his movement does not get orders from anyone and its decisions come from its leaders inside the Palestinian territories.

    Mofaz told the Israeli Yediot Aharonot daily's website on Tuesday that Iran transferred 1.8 million dollars last month to the Islamic Jihad organization in order to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel.

    Al-Nakhala clarified that the fund is a direct aid from Iran, from which most of the money is transferred through Syria, and then to the Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories. Enditem