Posted on 06/26/2008 4:22:48 PM PDT by forkinsocket
The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip lashed out at rival militants after two Qassam rockets were fired at southern Israel yesterday, causing no injuries but further straining the shaky truce between Israel and Hamas that went into effect last Thursday morning.
In view of the continued rocket fire, Israel will keep the crossings into the Gaza Strip closed today, for the third straight day.
The Fatah-affiliated group Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for yesterday's rocket fire and demanded that the cease-fire be extended into the West Bank.
In a statement carried by the official Palestinian news agency Maan, Hamas warned the militant factions against violating the terms of the cease-fire with Israel, saying such violations harmed the Palestinian national interest. Hamas also threatened to take measures against the violators.
A Hamas spokesman said the truce was a national Palestinian interest and that anyone who tried to sabotage it was acting in an "anti-national" way. He called on Egypt, which brokered the cease-fire agreement, to talk to those factions that are "motivated by anti-national politics."
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
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