GAZA: Gaza's Hamas rulers signaled Friday that they wanted to defuse tension with Israel that has surged over the past week and they reiterated their desire for a mutual ceasefire. Israel and Hamas fought a devastating three-week war in the Gaza Strip two years ago and there have been frequent exchanges of fire across the tense border since, with incidents recently spiking. Palestinian militants fired 26 rockets and mortars into Israel this week, including one that exploded near a kindergarten. An Israeli airstrike wiped out a five-man rocket squad and a Palestinian shepherd was shot dead near the border. In front of a crowd of supporters in southern Gaza after Friday prayers, senior leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar said Hamas would be committed to a ceasefire if Israel abided by it. Zahar said Hamas and other factions were committed to an agreement they had reached last year to stop rocket firing into Israel, although smaller groups continued to launch attacks. Earlier Friday a rocket fired from Gaza landed in Israel. “We are committed to self-restraint as long as there is no oppression and no aggression,” said Zahar. Hamas, whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel, has said in the past it would agree to a long
