"The Israeli crimes prove that Israel does not believe in peace or allow the Palestinians to regain their legitimate rights," a delegate from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said.

"This means that it is important to resist against the Israeli aggression," he said, adding "Palestinian civilians suffer from Israeli crimes every day. If someone wants to talk about peace, he must show sincerity and willingness."

On Saturday night, at least 30 Israeli tanks and armored vehicles, supported by Apache helicopters stormed Gaza City to avenge repeated attacks by Hamas.

The fierce Israeli attack came one day after 13 Palestinian groups began the unprecedented talks in the Egyptian capital in a bid to remove differences on pathway to statehood.

Apart from Hamas, the Palestinian mainstream Fatah movement, the Islamic Jihad (Holy War), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were represented at the dialogue.

It was learnt that the participants were still mulling an Egyptian proposal on freezing attacks on the Israelis for one year to help restart peace talks between the two sides.

Condemning the Israeli attacks on Gaza City, a Fatah member also said on Sunday that Fatah hopes that such an event would not affect the Cairo talks.

"We should not give Israel any chance to torpedo the talks aimed at seeking national unity," he said.

It was reported that some senior Palestinian officials have called for a halt to the Palestinian uprising to better serve Palestinian interests, while other Palestinian groups have insisted on armed resistance.

Hamas and Jihad are opposed to the Mideast peace process and efforts to revive it. Their armed wings have carried out deadly attacks on Israel since the Palestinians and Israel signed the Oslo Accord in 1993.

On Sunday, Khaled Mashaal, chairman of Hamas' Political Bureau, said that "Hamas is ready to discuss all the issues, including stopping armed attacks in Israel," referring to Palestinian mainstream Fatah's idea that armed resistance should be limited within the 1967 borders.

"Such an idea does not amount to an overall halt to resistance," said Mashaal, who is leading a Hamas delegation to the talks.

Just hours ahead of the Cairo talks on Friday, the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigade, armed wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for killing three Israeli soldiers in an ambush south of the West Bank city of Hebron Thursday night.

"This attack is a clear response to crimes that are carried out round the clock against our innocent and defenseless people in the West Bank and Gaza," the group said in a leaflet distributed in the West Bank.

(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2003)