Haniyeh: All Palestinian factions should honor truce
Ismail Haniyeh calls on all Palestinian groups in Gaza to maintain ceasefire several hours after two mortar shells fired at Israel; Hamas leader says Palestinians accepted truce in order to lift Gaza siege
"The factions and the people accepted the lull in order to secure two interests – an end to aggression and the lifting of the siege. Therefore, we hope that everyone honors this national agreement," he said following Friday prayers.
Earliar Friday, two mortar shells were fired at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip. One landed near Kibbutz Kfar Aza in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, and the second one hit an open area. There were no reports of injuries or damage in the latest violation of the fragile ceasefire.
On Thursday, a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel exploded near a gas station in an open area in Sderot's industrial zone. There were no injuries.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Fatah's military wing, claimed responsibility for firing that rocket. Sources in Gaza estimated that the incident was aimed at embarrassing Hamas and harming the efforts to maintain the truce with Israel.
Following the attack, a spokesman for the Hamas government, Taher al-Nunu, called Fatah's actions "unpatriotic." He said Hamas was considering the possibility of taking action against those perpetrating the attacks against Israel.
