国际英语新闻：Hamas leader orders forces to protect ceasefire

GAZA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haneya authorized his forces Thursday to work on maintaining fragile ceasefire with Israel, a statement from Haneya's office said.

"The prime minister instructed security chiefs clearly to preserve the national understanding between the different factions regarding the situation on the ground and to protect it," the statement said.

The order is the first that Hamas government issues. Before it routed forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas and seized Gaza in 2007, Hamas has been very critical of pro-Abbas forces' chasing down militants who fire rockets on Israel.

Hamas has been fully committed to an unofficial truce which followed Israel's invasion of Gaza in the winter of 2008-09, but smaller groups have been firing mortars into Israel from time to time.

Cross-border violence flared up in recent weeks and Hamas fears another Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Haneya's orders came a day after Hamas invited leaders of Gaza-based factions and asked them to respect the ceasefire. An official who attended the factions' meeting told Xinhua that the groups agreed to rein in to avoid another Israeli offensive on Gaza.