Militant group says attacks are taking place “at the wrong time”
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, says continuing rocket attacks on nearby Israeli towns are taking place “at the wrong time” and has briefly arrested members of the Islamic Jihad militia group it says are responsible for the attacks. Khader Habib, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, confirmed that arrests and said its members were only released after they signed forms promising to stop the attacks. Habib, however, said Islamic Jihad would respond with more rockets if faced by what he described as Israeli aggression. Israeli and Hamas separately declared ceasefires in January following a war in Gaza that resulted in more than 1,300 Palestinian deaths. Negotiations are continuing between the two sides to establish a more permanent ceasefire.