A Hamas lawmaker Yehia Moussa on Saturday denied reports that his movement had decided to prevent armed Palestinian groups from firing rockets into Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

"Hamas is not in connection with the media reports and these statements are untrue and such remarks can never be issued by Hamas," Moussa said.

According to the reports, the Islamic movement told the military wings of the Palestinian factions that the interior ministry will "treat the individual cases of rocket attacks against Israeli targets outside Gaza."

Hamas wanted to stop the rockets to get a period of calmness enabling it to rebuild its security services and reconstruct the Gaza Strip which came under a fierce offensive in January 2009.

However, Hamas will allow the armed groups to strike only if Israel sent ground troops again to any area in the coastal Strip, the reports said.

Hamas and Israel have not observed a ceasefire these days but maintain a level of quietness that preached in the recent days by several rocket firings.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2009)