Hamas holds fire in Gaza

Palestinians in Gaza observed a 24-hour halt to rocket fire against Israel at the request of Egyptian mediators who made efforts to restore a longer truce.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak invited Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for talks in Cairo, Ms Livni's office said, after Hamas Islamists said they may consider a new ceasefire if Israel eased a blockade and armed raids on the territory.

Ms Livni's talks with Mr Mubarak would take place on Thursday, and cover "security issues" along the Gaza border, a statement from her office said, adding she would hold additional meetings in Egypt, but gave no further details.

Hamas also enlisted Turkish assistance to help restore a ceasefire, brokered by Egypt last June, as Israeli leaders headed to a February 10 election threatened to escalate military steps to halt rocket fire from Gaza. On Friday, Hamas had declared the truce to have expired, accusing Israel of reneging on understandings by conducting armed raids and shutting border crossings, disrupting a lifeline for food and fuel supplies to 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel blamed security threats for the closures, and many Israelis criticised the truce's failure to advance negotiations for the return of an Israeli soldier held in Gaza since 2006. Senior Hamas official Ayman Taha said yesterday Hamas had agreed with other factions to hold rocket fire for a day "to give a chance to the Egyptian mediation and to show that the problem was always on the Israeli side". Mr Taha said Hamas might consider a long truce if Israel were to lift an embargo on the impoverished territory.

"If a new (truce) offer were made which met our demands, then we would be willing to study it," Mr Taha said.

The hold on firing seemed to be observed, with only two rockets and a mortar reported to have been fired yesterday from Gaza, and a rocket and four mortars shot on Sunday night.

Shortly before that respite was set to expire, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to ask that he urge Israel to lift its blockade on Gaza and to halt its military operations in the coastal strip.

Taher al-Nono, a spokesman for Mr Haniyeh, said Mr Erdogan had assured Mr Haniyeh he would raise these issues in his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Ankara yesterday.