Fathi Hammad, Hamas' interior minister, announced Saturday that Hamas had convinced all the armed factions in Gaza to cease any firing of homemade shells across the border from Gaza into Israel.
Hammad said that the agreement would only hold as long as Israel does not invade the Gaza Strip. He said that if such an invasion were to take place, Hamas and other resistance groups reserve their internationally-recognized right to resist a military invasion of their land.
In a press conference with Gazan journalists, Hammad stated, "We have agreed with the factions that nobody carries out any action involving shells for now."
...Over the last year, since the Israeli invasion of Gaza resulted in over 1400 Palestinians killed - 90% of whom were civilians, and 400 of which were children, Israel has threatened to invade the Gaza Strip on a number of occasions.
After Israeli air strikes on Thursday that resulted in the deaths of several Palestinians, a homemade shell was fired by Palestinian armed resistance factions in Gaza into the Negev desert in Israel. No injuries or damage were reported from the shelling. Full story
...Hammad highlighted that 60 police buildings were bombed in the Israeli assault last winter. He said some 350 security officers were killed, including his predecessor, Sa'id Siyam. Full story
...Hamas has observed a ceasefire for months, but other groups have carried out sporadic cross-border attacks.
The rockets usually cause limited damage and few if any casualties. Full story
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