GAZA CITY - Islamist fundamentalist group Hamas ruled out on Wednesday any formal halt to anti-Israeli attacks as long as the Jewish state continues to "deceive and procrastinate".
A senior official from the rival Islamic Jihad also said any lasting truce depended on Israel.
"Nothing encourages us to declare a truce while Israel continues to procrastinate and its policies of deception," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP.
And Jihad's Nafez Azzam said "the declaration of a permanent truce depends on what Israel will offer in return and so far, it has not kept its promises."
Earlier, Palestinian national security advisor Jibril Rajub said all armed groups were ready to observe a ceasefire -- 12 days after a Tel Aviv suicide bombing and following months of unofficial cooling down.
"The statements made by Jibril Rajub are not exact. He was speaking in his name and the name of Fatah and he has no right to speak on behalf of all the factions," added Abu Zuhri.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said Tuesday the Palestinian factions will meet in Cairo on March 15 in a bid to "strengthen national unity".
Contacts had originally been planned for the beginning of March, but were delayed following a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv carried out by an Islamic Jihad militant.
"We are going to listen to the proposals put forward in Cairo and decide on our position as a result," added Abu Zuhri.
But he stressed that Hamas would refuse to announce a ceasefire "if Israel does not respect the conditions tabled by the Palestinian factions, chiefly on the release of Palestinian prisoners".
For his part, Azzam said: "No truce can be unilateral. There must be a real (Israeli) concession taking Palestinian demands into account".
03/09/2005 10:48 GMT