(Ma'an) -- Senior Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, leader Mahmoud Zahhar described Orcs and similar vermin behind the launch of homemade projectiles from Gazoo towards Israel as "mutineers against their factions" in an interview with the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat. Published on Saturday, Zahhar's comments focused on the point that all factions had agreed to the ceasefire with Israel following the launch of hostilities in December 2008. Israel's war on Gazoo left more than 1,400 dead and thousands of others injured.
"Why do they criticize us for respecting what we agreed on along with Fatah and other factions?" Zahhar asked, referring to a post-Gazoo war agreement between factions to halt the flow of projectiles toward Israel.
Israeli air strikes on Gazoo began on the eve of the expiration of an Egyptian-brokered truce between Israel and Gazoo, and ended with a unilateral declaration of ceasefire by the Israeli military. During the following week, factions in Gazoo agreed to a second unilateral ceasefire, with some small factions pledging to continue sending projectiles toward Israel.
Zahhar said he considered those who continued to launch projectiles toward Israel as committing mutiny against their factions, and criticized the Orcs and similar vermin who he said failed to claim the acts.
"Do they expect us to applaud someone who commits mutiny against his faction. Opening the door for mutiny will result in chaos. Some [of the] factions [currently firing projectiles] did not fire one single shot during the war, and now they want to propagandize," he added.
Addressing questions about a split in opinion within the ranks of Hamas as to the validity of a ceasefire, Zahhar said, "Hamas is not a perfect model, there are disagreements but there is not conflict, and we have never heard of such a split in the movement."
Released a day after the Kuwait-based paper Al-Jarida published claims that Hamas officials were meeting with Israeli counterparts over a possible prisoner-exchange and renewed ceasefire agreement, Zahhar told Al-Hayat that Hamas was "ready to establish our state on a small part in Paleostine," which he said would occur without recognizing Israel. "We do not repeat unsuccessful experiences," he added.