'Hamas officials go underground in fear of Israeli attack'

Hamas PM Haniyeh, senior official Zahar operating with restricted movement within Gaza, according to Arab media.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, YAAKOV LAPPIN
ismail haniyeh 311 (photo credit: Bloomberg)
ismail haniyeh 311
(photo credit: Bloomberg)
Senior Hamas security and political officials have descended to underground tunnels in the fear that Israel may try to attack them, according to sources within Hamas quoted by newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi as reporting.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and senior official Mahmoud al-Zahar are now operating with restricted movement within the Gaza Strip, according to the report.
RELATED:'PA silence over terror raises questions about statehood''Iran cuts funding for Hamas due to Syria unrest'
Early Monday morning, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers concluded that Israel will not respond to the attacks from Gaza with a large-scale operation.
Diplomatic sources expressed concern that escalation in the South could upset Egypt and and hurt Israel at the UN vote for Palestinian statehood in September.
Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on southern Israel resumed on Sunday evening and continued into Monday morning despite reports that the Islamist group was seeking an immediate ceasefire.
Sixteen rockets were fired from the after midnight on Sunday. Four kassam rockets landed in Sderot, the Eshkol Regional Council area and on the outskirts of Ashkelon. No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks. An additional rocket damaged a building in the Eshkol Regional Council on Monday morning and the Iron Dome anti-rocket shield intercepted one rocket fired in the direction of Ashkelon.
Click for full Jpost coverage
Click for full Jpost coverage