Hamas faces growing backlash as it tries to rein in rockets focus 04/15/2010

Hamas faces growing backlash as it tries to rein in rockets

focus 04/15/2010 GAZA CITY — The Hamas rulers of Gaza — the site of a deadly gunbattle on Tuesday — fear an escalation of violence could bring a crushing Israeli response but do not want to be seen by hardline rivals as having given up the armed struggle, observers say. In recent months Hamas has claimed to have reached an agreement with other militants to halt rocket attacks on southern Israel, but 77 rockets and mortar shells were fired in the first three months of the year alone, according to Israeli figures. And on Tuesday, four Palestinians were killed and two wounded in a firefight in central Gaza between Israeli troops and fighters of the Islamic Jihad, a smaller and more radical Islamist group than Hamas.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100415com7.html

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