Mahmoud al-Zahar
Photo: Reuters
Al-Zahar: Anyone violating ceasefire will be detained
Hamas leader warns armed Palestinian factions that any infringement of truce agreement will result in arrest, disarming of violators, as deviation from agreement harms interests of Palestinian people
Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar announced Saturday that his organization is calling on all Palestinian factions to honor the ceasefire agreement with Israel, and has even pledged to arrest any party caught violating the agreement, including Hamas operatives,
and to disarm them.
In an interview with Saudi newspaper Al-Watan, al-Zahar said that "anyone that violates the ceasefire agreement will be arrested, and his weapon will be taken from him. This is also true for operatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Deviations from the general agreement and the harming of the interests of the Palestinian people is not the opposition's plan, but rather harmful to it."
In Violation
Shmulik Hadad
Violations of ceasefire in Gaza vicinity continue: Palestinians fire two mortars into Israel on Friday morning. One lands near Kfar Aza; no injuries or damage reported
Al-Zahar confirmed that recent arrests have included men suspected of theft from one of the crossings, and others who fired rockets and live ammunition at trucks transferring goods to the Gaza Strip.
He added that certain families have surrendered their sons following requests made by the organization, as they understood that these men were breaking the law. Aggressive legal procedures were being used against them, according to al-Zahar.
The Hamas leader went on to announce that "covert hands and even Palestinian hands are attempting to thwart the truce, because they are not interested in it. These hands see this as the opposition's plan succeeding at the expense of negotiations. There are factions that do not heed their commanders' instructions and there are agents attempting to damage security."
On Friday Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called on Palestinian factions to adhere to the Gaza Strip lull agreement with Israel. "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.
Both leaders' speeches followed the firing of two mortar shells at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip earlier on Friday. 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 this latest violation of the fragile ceasefire.
The ceasefire was also violated on Thursday, when a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip 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 the rocket. Hamas estimated that the incident was aimed at embarrassing the organization and harming the efforts to maintain the truce with Israel.
