IDF: Man was likely hit by Palestinian shell; Hamas, Gaza factions reportedly agree to uphold truce.
By JPOST.COM STAFFhamas gunmen badass headband 248 88(photo credit: AP)
Palestinian sources on Thursday claimed that a Hamas man had been killed by an IDF tank shell near the Karni crossing, in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas said the man was a member of the organization's lookout unit and had been "killed in action."
The IDF denied the report, saying that there had been no shooting incidents in the area and that the man had probably been killed by an errant Palestinian mortar shell.
Meanwhile, Israel Radio reported that Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh had met with the leaders of the various armed Palestinian factions in the Strip.
The terror leaders reached a unanimous decision to uphold the cease-fire with Israel, provided that Israel also refrained from violating the truce, the report said.
They did not, however, reach a decision to extend the period of calm beyond the initial six months that were agreed upon in June.
The radio station also quoted senior Hamas figures as having said that they wish to replace the Egyptian mediator in talks between the Palestinian factions with a Qatari go-between, following Qatar's success in brokering a truce between the various opposing groups in Lebanon.
In an interview with the London-based Arab daily Asharq Alawsat, the Hamas leaders said that Egypt was "too weak to broker a deal" with Fatah.
They said that Egypt's "weakness" had emerged after Cairo "failed to bring about the release of Hamas men being held by the PA security apparatus in the West Bank.
