Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement on Wednesday said Israel's decision to shut crossing points into Gaza breaches the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire deal.
"Before the Egyptian side, Israel pledged not to close the crossing points and to ease the siege," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoom said in a statement.
Israeli increased the levels of goods it allows into Gaza Strip after the six-month ceasefire took hold last Thursday. But the firing of two rockets by Islamic Jihad into Israel Tuesday violated the ceasefire and Israel responded by withholding the easing of the embargo on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
"Hamas is committed to the lull and called on the Palestinian factions to restrain and to work on securing the success of the calmness," Barhoom said.
The Islamic Jihad said it fired the rockets in response to the killing of one of its commander and another student in West Bank. The territory is not included in the ceasefire deal but the small Islamic faction insists it has the right to respond to the Israeli military operations anywhere.
Palestinian Hamas militants take part in a training exercise in Gaza June 24, 2008. Militants in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip fired several rockets into southern Israel on Tuesday, breaching a five-day-old ceasefire after Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Meanwhile, Barhoom called on Egypt to press Israel to stop its raids, pointing out to a number of Israeli violations which included the shooting at two farmers in separate incidents in Gaza Strip.
Hamas seized control of Gaza Strip in June 2007 after routing security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel, which doesn't recognize Hamas, imposed a blockade and increased its attacks into Gaza Strip until Egypt brokered a ceasefire between the two sides.
Source:Xinhua
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