Haniyeh orders quiet on Gaza border

Following escalation in violence, Hamas PM phones Egyptian intelligence chief, informs him of decision to abide by unofficial truce with Israel.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Haniyeh shouting, mikes 311 (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Haniyeh shouting, mikes 311
(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh instructed his security forces on Thursday to enforce a cease-fire with Israel.
Haniyeh also phoned Egyptian General Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and informed him of the decision to abide by the unofficial truce with Israel.
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The decision came following an agreement reached late Wednesday between Hamas and other Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip.
Taher a-Nunu, spokesman for the Hamas government, said that Haniyeh had met with his advisers and his interior minister, Fathi Hammad, to discuss the latest security developments and Israeli threats to launch a military operation to stop rocket and mortar attacks.
The spokesman said Haniyeh had issued instructions to “preserve internal security in the Gaza Strip with the rest of the resistance groups in light of Israeli threats.”
During the meeting, Haniyeh praised the Palestinian groups for agreeing to stop the attacks, denying Israel an excuse to launch a new war against the Gaza Strip, the spokesman said.
Abu Mujahed, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of various armed groups, confirmed that his men had agreed to stop the attacks on Israel “so as not to give Israel an excuse to wage a new aggression.”
Abu Mujahed said the Egyptian government had recently relayed a message to the Palestinians to the effect that Israel was “serious” in its threats to wage a war to stop the rockets and mortars.
“The Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have taken these threats seriously and are now trying to calm the situation because we need a period of calm here,” he added.