Hamas' Haniyeh: End Gaza escalation
Hamas prime minister responds to overnight Israeli strikes in Gaza Strip, hints his organization wishes to maintain calm, urges international community to 'intervene to put an end to the Israeli escalation'
Hamas signals it's not interested in escalation. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Friday commented on the Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip Thursday night in response to the rocket fired at Israel earlier.
"My government is in talks with the Palestinian organizations to maintain a united stance with regards to the struggle against Israel," he said, and urged the international community to "intervene to put an end to the Israeli escalation."
Hamas is making an effort to stop rocket attacks on Israel. Hamas official Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar went so far as to accuse the Palestinian Authority and Fatah elements of encouraging rocket attacks "in order to undermine the Hamas leadership's stability in Gaza."
Gazan children at site that was hit (Photo: AFP)
The Israel Air Force struck a number of targets in the Gaza Strip Thursday night. Palestinians reported of numerous explosions at a number of locations. The IDF said exact hits of terror targets were identified.
According to witnesses, one of the targets was a group of armed lookouts near Beit Lahiya, located in the northern part of Gaza. No one was injured in the strike.
Another strike, witnesses said, targeted a factory in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood. Reuters reported that two children were injured from shrapnel and that serious damage was caused.
In addition, a number of missiles were fired towards open areas in the Khan Younis area, the Palestinians reported. Israeli warplanes also targeted a metal workshop in central Gaza.
According to the Palestinians, at least one missile was fired at a Hamas naval police outpost in Rafah.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed a number of strikes were carried out against weapons labs.
"The assault comes in response to the rocket that was fired at the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council last night. The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the citizens of the State of Israel or IDF soldiers and will continue to operate determinedly and forcefully against any element that operates terror against the State of Israel. The IDF holds the Hamas terror organization as solely responsible for the occurrences in the Gaza Strip and for maintaining quiet there," the IDF statement said.
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke on the phone with Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal and asked that his organization quit all rocket fire towards Israel, Moscow's Foreign Ministry announced.
Lavrov called the fire "conscienceless". Mashaal responded by saying that his organization has decided to "continue with the calm, and is uninterested in an escalation of violence". He vowed that his organization would take "the proper steps to prevent rocket attacks."
