Hamas got rich as Gaza was plunged into poverty (tags)
With multi-million-dollar land deals, luxury villas and black market fuel from Egypt, Gaza's rulers made billions while the rest of the population struggled with 38-percent poverty and 40-percent unemployment.
Hamas emphasizes need for Israeli withdrawal (tags)
Khalid Mashal, a leader-in-exile of the Palestinian Hamas party, stated Monday in an interview that Israel must withdraw its troops from Palestinian territories as a prerequisite for peace talks. "If Israel recognises our rights and pledges to withdraw from all occupied lands, Hamas, and the Palestinian people together with it, will decide to halt armed resistance."