Hamas Debates Cease-Fire With Israel as Leaders Head to Gaza
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Tear gas canisters fired by Israeli forces land amidst protesters during a demonstration along the border with Israel east of Gaza City on July 13.
Photographer: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Top Hamas chiefs from abroad traveled to the Gaza Strip in a bid to decide with local leaders whether to call off four months of conflict with Israel and accept a cease-fire proposed by mediators from Egypt and the United Nations.
Salah al-Arouri, Turkey-based deputy head of the militant group that rules Gaza, and Mussa Abu Marzuk, another senior leader, crossed from Egypt to Gaza for three days of talks, spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in an email. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and European Union.