Friday, June 27, 2008

Hamas says it will not police truce with Israel

From AP, by IBRAHIM BARZAK, 26/6/08:

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The militant group Hamas said it ...will not act as Israel's "police force" in confronting militants who breach the truce.

The comments by Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya came shortly after Gaza militants fired three rockets into southern Israel Tuesday, lightly wounding two Israelis. It was the first attack since the truce took effect last Thursday.

Israel responded by closing Gaza's border crossings, which are used to deliver food and basic supplies into the area.

Hamas said it was exerting pressure on Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for the attack, to stop the rocket fire and demanded that Israel open the crossings. But al-Haya said its forces would not confront rocket launching squads on the ground.

"Even if there is a violation by some factions...Hamas is not going to be a police securing the border of the occupation," he added....

Israel called the rocket attack a "gross violation" of the Egypt-mediated truce. As part of the cease-fire, Israel had on Sunday begun incrementally increasing the amount of goods entering Gaza. On Wednesday, all cargo crossings were closed, though a pedestrian passage was kept open....

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