Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    GAZA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement on Sunday denied accusations that it was policing the Israeli borders with the Gaza Strip to maintain an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

    "The movement did not arrest anyone because of the resistance and did not deploy any of its members on the borders to protect the Israeli occupation," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoom.

    Israeli media reported that Hamas arrested a number of Palestinian militants who violated the truce between Hamas and Israel which took effect on June 19.

    The reports also said that Hamas deployed its militants near the border areas to prevent rocket attacks by Palestinian factionsagainst the ceasefire which does not cover the West Bank.

    "Hamas will not use force to reinforce the lull, but it depends on the language of logic and sense and the joint Palestinian work to maintain the Palestinian interest and protect the lull in order to lift the siege and stop the aggression," Barhoom said.

    The six-month ceasefire succeeded in restoring sort of calmness and Israel started a gradual ease of the embargo on the coastal strip. But sporadic rocket attacks obstruct the lifting of the siege.

    Meanwhile, a Palestinian analyst said Hamas, which has been controlling the Gaza Strip for over one year, started to adopt "more peaceful policies" towards Israel, especially after the ceasefire in force.

    "Hamas appears to be very serious to reinforce and secure the ceasefire and it did not hesitate to slam the groups that violated the deal," said Mukhaimar Abu Sa'da, political science professor at al-Azhar University in Gaza.