http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_ID=5822
A senior Hamas leader announced on Monday that the group has decided to halt its attacks on the Israelis ahead of the Palestinian elections,scheduled for January 9 to choose a leader after the late Yasser Arafat died earlier this month.
Hamas top leader in the West Bank, Sheik Hassan Yousef, said that his group was considering a formal truce with Israel.
“In the current situation, many political and militant groups have halted their attacks. They are waiting and exploring the new era,” said Yousef who had been released recently from an Israeli jail after spending two years in custody.
Yousef added that Hamas would consider a formal cease-fire if Israel showed cooperation. He said that Israel should release Palestinian prisoners, withdraw from occupied land and stop launching attacks targeting Palestinian fighters.
“The truce should have a price,” he said. “There is no truce from one side. The truce should be two-way. But a truce with continued Israeli aggression is not acceptable to us.”
Interim Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has repetitively criticised Hamas