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Islamic Jihad militants preparing to launch a rocket into Israel in September 2008.
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Last update - 20:01 08/12/2009
Hamas: All Gaza militant groups agree to halt rocket attacks
By Haaretz Service and Agencies
Tags: Hamas Gaza, Hamas rockets 

Hamas announced Saturday evening that it has reached an agreement with other militant groups in Gaza to stop firing rockets at southern Israeli towns to prevent retaliatory attacks.

"We have agreed with the factions that nobody carries out any action involving rockets for now," Fathi Hammad, Hamas' interior minister, was quoted as saying by the Chinese news agency Xinhua.

But if Israel sent troops to the Hamas-controlled territory, then the militants would have "an open space to respond," Hammad added during a meeting with Gaza journalists, according to the news agency.
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Hamas has mostly refrained from firing rockets since January when Israel ended a three week offensive in Gaza, code-named Operation Cast Lead, aimed at stopping almost daily cross-border attacks.

Other Gaza militant groups have since continued with rocket attacks, but on a much smaller scale than before.

Hammad reportedly explained that the agreement aims at avoiding another Israeli military operation and to enable people to rebuild following the Israel Defense Forces offensive last winter.

Israel says around 1,100 Gazans were killed during the three-week campaign, of whom the majority were militants. But Palestinian human rights groups say more than 1,400 Gazans were killed, most of whom were civilians. Thirteen Israelis were also killed during the hostilities: ten IDF soldiers and three civilians.

A rocket launched by Gaza militants exploded in southern Israel Saturday morning, causing no injuries.

During the meeting on Saturday, Hammad reportedly denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' claim that Hamas was seeking secret negotiations with Israel.

"There are no secret deals and our position is clear; the land of Palestine is an Islamic endowment" that can't be put for negotiations, he was quoted as saying
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  1.   Shalit? 18:17  |  Paul Freedman 21/11/09
  2.   Trying for Acceptance 18:23  |  Jane 21/11/09
  3.   Try It Maybe You`ll Like It 18:25  |  Brad 21/11/09
  4.   When Hamas & the Gaza militant groups will start again !? 18:29  |  Akram Zekaria 21/11/09
  5.   Proof of the success of Operation Cast Lead 18:55  |  Yonatan 21/11/09
  6.   "Rocket" science 19:05  |  Ki`emli 21/11/09
  7.   Pessimist 19:55  |  Mark of Lewiston 21/11/09
  8.   Is Hamas finally figuring it out? 20:11  |  dyinglikeflies 21/11/09
  9.   No, Israel didn`t do the right thing 20:14  |  Basil 21/11/09
  10.   Jane # 2 hamas is legitimate 20:24  |  American in NY 21/11/09
  11.   israel should continue attakcs 20:36  |  vik 21/11/09
  12.   Hamas Halted Rocket Attacks? 21:08  |  sfg 21/11/09
  13.   Negotiate under fire Basil? 21:27  |  Ki`emli 21/11/09
  14.   Yonatan 21:33  |  Mark Lincoln 21/11/09
  15.   Israel,s worst nightmare unfolding--the threat of peace 22:04  |  Labhras 21/11/09
  16.   HAMAS ROCKETS 22:16  |  Brant 21/11/09
  17.   Pre-cast lead history... 22:23  |  Welshman 21/11/09
  18.   And then November came Mark 22:23  |  Ki`emli 21/11/09
  19.   Egypt didn`t do the right thing, Basil 22:24  |  suisse 21/11/09
  20.   DONT BELIEVE A WORD 22:39  |  TOBIA 21/11/09
  21.   Basil # 7 23:15  |  Philippe 21/11/09
  22.   #10 Mark Lincoln - Could be, MArk, could be 23:24  |  Yonatan 21/11/09
  23.   This just proves 23:52  |  Jennifer 21/11/09
  24.   #14 Ki`emli 23:58  |  Greg 21/11/09
  25.   Don`t take us for fools, Mark Lincoln. 00:02  |  flyingdoc57 22/11/09
  26.   Marc Lincoln: are you a supporter of Hamas? 00:06  |  Salomoni 22/11/09
  27.   Mark Lincoln 00:53  |  Robert 22/11/09
  28.   Mark Lincoln (con`t) 01:06  |  Robert 22/11/09
  29.   #9 Ki`emli 01:16  |  Welshman 22/11/09
  30.   Welshman, why don`t you free Wales?!! 01:31  |  MBY 22/11/09
  31.   Mark Lincoln 01:38  |  Jasper 22/11/09
  32.   # to Labhras 02:33  |  Markos Souza 22/11/09
  33.   Hamas made an agreement with Carter 04:27  |  Jimmy Earl 22/11/09
  34.   #19 Practice what you preach 04:36  |  Jim 22/11/09
  35.   How do we know that the racists who made Israel necessary 06:43  |  Mark Lincoln 22/11/09
  36.   No such thing as a tacit Ceasefire 07:46  |  Reid 22/11/09
  37.   Ceasefire? 11:35  |  Michael 22/11/09
  38.   Mark Lincoln # 30 21:13  |  Philippe 22/11/09
  39.   #13 It would be funny if it wasn`t to cry. 21:42  |  Show some respect... 22/11/09
  40.   rockets 11:44  |  amirovitz 23/11/09
  41.   In that case Welshman 13:21  |  Ki`emli 05/01/10
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