Hamas decries Abbas' call to stop Kassam fire

Hamas decried on Sunday a recent call by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to stop Kassam rocket fire on Israel and release kidnapped IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit. A statement published by the group said that "The entire world knows that the rockets are our only way of defending ourselves," Israel Radio reported. The Palestinian minister in charge of prisoners' affairs said that if "Israel wants to bring Gilad Shalit back to his family, it should show flexibility and release prisoners."