Hamas bid to calm tensions with Israel

Gaza's Hamas rulers say they have contacted armed groups in the coastal territory in an apparent bid to calm tensions with Israel.

A statement released on Friday by the Hamas government criticised an Israeli "escalation" against Gaza.

Israeli planes bombed targets in Gaza on Thursday night after an increase in rocket fire into Israel.

At the same time, the statement said, the Hamas government was "making contact with the factions to safeguard internal agreement."

Hamas has never explicitly criticised attacks against Israel, but the statement's language indicated the Islamic group would act to rein in smaller militant factions carrying out attacks.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Friday condemned the Israeli air strikes: "We in the Palestinian government condemn this escalation and call on our Arab brothers in particular and the international community in general to intervene in order to stop targeting our people and the escalation against them everywhere, particularly in the Gaza Strip."