Hamas, Gaza and stopping the shelling

By Dion Nissenbaum, McClatchy Newspapers Mon Oct 29, 6:59 PM ET
BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip —In the four months since Hamas seized effective control of the Gaza Strip in a brutal military takeover, Israel has cut off the desolate region from the outside world and created a political crisis for the Islamist militant group now leading the government here.
Popular support for Hamas appears to be dwindling as frustration builds.
While Hamas managed to restore a semblance of safety to the Gaza Strip , it has failed to do much more. The Hamas -led government enjoys virtually no international recognition. Israel and the United States have rushed to shore up Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas , who has championed the international campaign to marginalize Hamas .
Now Hamas is confronting intense internal fissures....

Hamad, who until recently served as chief spokesman for deposed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh , called the Hamas takeover a "serious strategic mistake that burdened the movement more than it can bear."
Other Hamas leaders in Gaza are vowing to stand fast and not let the latest Israeli steps force them to capitulate. But Israel's actions have created rank stagnation that is permeating daily life...
...Things are about to get worse. This week, Israel began tightening the screws, closing one of the two remaining crossings used to transfer food and other supplies in and out of the Gaza Strip .
Despite warnings that the actions could be illegal under international law, Israel intends to let nothing but essential food and medical supplies into Gaza . ..."This is a signal to Hamas and the Palestinian people in Gaza ," said Shlomo Dror , a spokesman for the Israeli government agency responsible for relations with the Gaza Strip . "The only reason we are doing this is to make the lives of the terrorists harder."
Israeli forces guard every exit from Gaza by land, sea and air. The Israeli military continues to stage daily operations to root out Palestinian militants, who fire mortars and rudimentary rockets into neighboring Israeli cities, towns and farms.
... But Israeli officials say the sanctions will end when Hamas cedes power to Abbas and rocket attacks from Gaza come to an end.
"If I were a Palestinian, I would go to Hamas and ask them to stop the attacks," Dror said. "The responsibility is in the hands of Hamas , not ours."