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RAMALLAH and JERUSALEM — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas to end its hail of rockets on Israel as Israeli leaders signalled they were preparing to invade the Gaza Strip to stop the barrages.

Mr. Abbas spoke Thursday as the Palestinian death toll from three days of intensified Israeli air strikes in Hamas-controlled Gaza neared 90.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address there would be “additional phases” to the military operation and that a “difficult, complex” battle lies ahead.

“What are you trying to achieve by sending rockets?” Mr. Abbas asked on Palestine TV, without explicitly naming Hamas, which recently lent its backing to his government after a seven-year rift. “We prefer to fight with wisdom and politics.”

It was the first time he has openly criticized Hamas for firing hundreds of rockets into Israel over the past month. The public nature of his critique may further strain his political alliance with the hardline Islamists, which has already developed cracks over finances and his denunciation of the abduction of three Israeli teenagers, whose killing Israel has blamed on the militant group.